St. Paul aims for wide appeal in projects list

A $484 million plan to remake and remodel schools in the St. Paul School District recognizes that many of its buildings need to be more welcoming to neighbors.

The district made being the "heart of the community" one of the goals of its Strong Schools, Strong Communities strategic plan.

It is no surprise, then, that the district aims to bolster its presence in as many neighborhoods as possible in the list of 12 major projects it plans to launch over the next five years. Tom Parent, the district's facilities director, said "geographic distribution" was a factor in deciding which projects made the five-year cut.

Here is a list of schools to be renovated, and their respective neighborhoods:

Como Park Senior High, Como

American Indian Magnet School, East Side (Dayton's Bluff)

Frost Lake Elementary, East Side (District 2)

Highland Park Elementary and Horace Mann School, Highland Park

St. Anthony Park Elementary, St. Anthony Park

Linwood Monroe Arts Plus Lower, Summit Hill

Obama Elementary, Summit-University

Adams Spanish Immersion School, West 7^th Street

The district also proposes to build a new $65 million to $70 million middle school on the East Side in the five-year plan awaiting board action on April 26.