As some St. Paul schools get fresh face, rising costs delay others

However, rising costs delay the next wave of major updates.

June 10, 2019 at 2:26AM
Saint Paul Public Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard and City of Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter held a a joint news conference to address the problems with getting students home in the snow.
St, Paul Public Schools Superintendent Joe Gothard recently called for an outside review of the district’s facilities management practices. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The renovations, additions and other amenities made possible by St. Paul Public Schools' long-range facilities master plan meant the Como Park Cougars could finally host a homecoming football game this school year.

Behind the school, not far from the new athletic field, is an addition with modern classrooms equipped with the latest technology. There are spacious hallways, too, and smaller meeting spaces. Still to come: a more welcoming front entrance.

"When it is done it really will be transformational," retired Como Park Senior High School teacher Roy Magnuson said of the project last week.

Humboldt High School, on the West Side, also is entering its final year of a multiyear makeover.

The work is part of a $484 million facilities plan launched three years ago by the state's second-largest district. But as costs rise, other projects will have to wait for the start of the next wave of major building projects.

They include:

American Indian Magnet School

Neighborhood: Dayton's Bluff

Original: 1924

Features: Four-story learning addition plus new administrative and event spaces.

Estimated cost (2016): $29 million

Estimated cost (2018): $38.5 million

Construction start: Moved from 2019 to 2020

Cherokee Heights Elementary School

Neighborhood: West Side

Original: 1925

Features: Renovated learning spaces and a new kitchen and cafeteria.

Estimated cost (2016): $12 million

Estimated cost (2018): $17 million

Construction start: Moved from 2020 to 2021

Ramsey Middle School

Neighborhood: Macalester-Groveland

Original: 1924

Features: New entry and office areas plus renovated learning spaces

Estimated cost (2016): $11 million

Estimated cost (2018): $23.5 million

Construction start: Moved from 2020 to 2021

Obama Elementary School

Neighborhood: Summit-University

Original: 1925

Features: Full-scale renovation of learning spaces, gym, auditorium, media center and administrative office

Estimated cost (2016): $19 million

Estimated cost (2018): $33 million

Construction start: Moved from 2020 to 2023

Farnsworth Aerospace PreK-4

Neighborhood: Payne-Phalen

Original: 1922

Features: Three-story learning and two-story media center additions plus renovated learning spaces

Estimated cost (2016): $17 million

Estimated cost (2018): $26 million

Construction start: Moved from 2020 to 2022

Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4109

about the writer

about the writer

Anthony Lonetree

Reporter

Anthony Lonetree has been covering St. Paul Public Schools and general K-12 issues for the Star Tribune since 2012-13. He began work in the paper's St. Paul bureau in 1987 and was the City Hall reporter for five years before moving to various education, public safety and suburban beats.

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