The Canfield Local School District is committed to cultivating an environment of growth and transparency. In addition to an annual preventive maintenance schedule, the CLSD sets aside dollars to deal with unanticipated maintenance repairs that arise and works tirelessly to manage what has become a deficient budget due to the age of multiple assets. Many of these facility assets are living past their useful life expectancy and require significant maintenance interaction.
The district will add a link to its homepage that will include our yearly preventive maintenance and inspection plan, an overview of the past 3-years of repair and maintenance spend information, and unanticipated repairs. In the future, the Canfield Local School district will work to post and socialize the maintenance schedule which has and will continue to be designed to support the ongoing and proactive facility management and maintenance strategy.
Over 40 committee members joined for the final planning session to determine what master plan option would be made as the recommendation to the board of education on May 10th.
The meeting focused around reviewing six final master plan options including the three plans developed by the facility committee and three additional plans which were proposed at the community open house event. Costs for all plans were presented which incorporated the recently released Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) annual cost update. The cost update reflected an overall increase of 4.8% which was comprised of both an inflation increase coupled with an update to the regional cost factor. Previously, a 10% estimation had been applied to project costs. In addition, the district clarified their bonding cap was $109 million.
Committee members then engaged in open dialogue around each of the six plans commenting on the pros, cons, considerations, and opportunities for each of the plans. The guiding principles, established to guide the planning process, were also reviewed. Interest in further exploring community partnership opportunities was expressed which would continue in the upcoming months.
At the conclusion of this dialogue, all committee members were asked to vote on their plan preference by participating in a live poll. The results of the poll showed a 48% preference for master plan option A, followed by 25% for plan B, 14% for plans C and D and 0% for plan E.
Master Plan A included a new K-4 school at Hilltop, new 5-8 school at Canfield Village Middle School and select renovations to Canfield High School with a total cost of $104.6 million.
This recommendation will be presented to the board of education on May 10th at which time the board has the final say in determining what plan and potentially what segment of the plan to move forward. All committee members were thanked for their involvement and commitment to the facility planning process over these past several months and encouraged to attend the upcoming board of education meeting.
Community Meeting and Master Planning Nine (4.4.23 and 4.6.23)
To support the ongoing master planning process for the Canfield Local School District, the facility committee hosted an open-house meeting on April 4th to present the developed master plan options to the Canfield community. Hosted in the Canfield Village Middle School gym, around 200 people attended, which included committee members, news media, design and construction professionals, senior citizens, and families from the public. With 5 different stations set up, the community was able to circulate during the 2-hour meeting to learn about each of the 3 plans, potential community partnerships, school finance and estimated costs to homeowners.
 Residents who attended could ask questions of committee members to learn how the plans were developed and explore more specifics of project scope, costs, and timing. A handout provided an overview of the process, master plan options and solicited additional input from attendees who may have questions about the process.
Community members had the opportunity to vote on their preferred master plans, and record pros and cons of each plan. This information was recorded and voting totals were tallied and provided to the committee members as a reference for their final board of education recommendation.
As the open house ended, the community's choice for the master plan became clear, with most attendees having selected Option A as their favored plan. Some of the stated benefits were grade configurations that remained the same, continuing to use existing sites and being able to satisfy the needs of the middle school and elementary schools, which are the oldest buildings in the district. Also, a benefit many community members noted was that this plan consolidated the elementary schools, reducing the number of buildings in the district, simplifying long-term maintenance costs and still being able to impact all grades in the district.
 After gathering this feedback from the community outreach, the findings were summarized and compiled alongside other outreach efforts the committee had been working on. Between the committee and the community open-house event, most respondents prefer Option A for these same reasons.
 Session 9 also covered the annual inflation rate increase across the state of Ohio. Currently, the state-wide projected inflation rate was lower than previously expected and after considering regional cost factors, it will arrive between 3-5%. This percentage is relatively low, considering the double-digit rate increases seen over the last several years.
The final committee meeting was moved back to April 20th, to give the facility committee time to vet a few additional ideas from the community, before choosing a master plan that they will ultimately recommend to the Board of Education on May 10th.
 To view the presentation and some common questions brought up during the community open house, CLICK HERE.
Master Planning Eight (3.30.23)
The eighth session focused around sharing initial feedback from community members around the preferred master plan options. As part of a homework assignment at the previous meeting, the committee members were provided an informational packet detailing the planning process and the three shortlisted master plans. They were tasked with engaging community members to present the information and collect feedback on their plan preferences. Over 40 responses were collected at the time with a 33% preference toward master plan option A and master plan option B. Information regarding the cost impact to master plan options were discussed as it related to the Hilltop and Shields Road site. Given the proposed new schools to be built at these locations, additional costs for road improvements were incorporated into each corresponding plan. A key component of the project was to understand the estimated cost to the homeowner when discussing with community members. A bond issue of $100 million (assuming an interest rate of 5.25% and 36 year term) would result in an estimated cost to a homeowner of $262.50 annually for each $100,000 appraised market value or $21.88 monthly. The remaining portion of the session focused on details of the upcoming community open house event on 4/4. All committee members were encouraged to attend to serve as representatives at the event to answer questions and share details on the planning process with community members. A handout would be provided to all attendees summarizing the planning process and the three preferred master plans. Community members could then view all three plans in detail including associated sites and costs, design and construction schedules and other considerations. Attendees would have a chance to write down their pros, cons and considerations for each plan and vote for their preferred plan(s). An opportunity to ask questions or indicate other plan options to consider would be available on the handout provided. In addition to the plan options, stations would be setup to explore community partnership opportunities as well as understand project financing and specific cost to each homeowner. Committee members shared ways they were helping to promote the event to ensure there was strong representation at the event to garner feedback on plan preferences to inform the upcoming final recommendation to the board of education.
Master Planning Session Six and Seven (3.16.23 and 3.23.23)
As April approaches, the Canfield Facilities Committee continued their work on developing a master plan recommendation for the board of education to satisfy the needs of the Canfield Local Schools. In the 6th and 7th sessions, the group re-examined their preferred master plan options considering site information and their costs and in the 7th session, merged that information with their preference of locally funded initiatives (LFI's) and a greater understanding of working with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC).
Master Planning 6 and 7
The goal of both sessions was to continue refining the 3 preferred plans and validating whether those were still options for committee members. Next steps will be to take these plans to the broader public for their input on April 4th.Â
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The majority of the committee continues to favor Master Plan Options 1 and 2, with district owned sites identified as their preferred locations. At the end of session 6 and 7, the master plan configurations that the committee currently favors are below. Â
 Master Plan #1Â
A New K-4 School, on the Hilltop site, and a new 5-8 Middle School on CVMS siteÂ
On March 23rd, at the 7th session, the committee was joined by OFCC’s Planning Manager Joey DiOrio and Senior Planner, William Prenosil, who answered questions about how partnering with the OFCC could benefit the project. One key takeaway from the session is that the district is enrolled in the Expedited Local Partnership Program or (ELPP), which allows for flexibility in the design of the future school. When complete, the district then receives credit from the state of Ohio. Â
The ELPP program is one pathway that was the most flexible and beneficial to the district to receive a large portion of outside funding on the project. Â
 In the 6th session, the committee discussed "locally funded initiatives." These are design elements that are added to a "base school configuration" that go above and beyond what is included in OFCC co-funded schools. They include things like new board offices, second gymnasiums, auditoriums, purchasing new property and reconfiguring or moving athletic fields. Committee members had the opportunity to discuss their preferred LFI's for the master plan configurations under consideration and incorporate those costs into the overall plan.Â
 Incorporating all that data on features and costs, the committee has developed a fuller picture of the plan options, with site configurations, LFI information and project timelines. Â
 With this information, the committee is seeking more input from the Canfield community. Â
 An open house is scheduled for April 4th, 6:00-8:00pm. At this time, interested community members are invited and can ask questions about the plans from committee members, design professionals, and the district administration. The public will provide input on each of the plans and vote on their preference. This feedback will be accounted for in the recommendation to the board of education that will happen towards the end of April.Â
At the fifth Facility Committee for Canfield Local Schools, committee members reviewed in depth the 3 master plans they identified at the end of session 4. The whole session was devoted to talking through the pros and cons of each plan, while talking through the site considerations for each. Â
Of the original 8 master plans, the preferred options were:Â
 185 Votes - Master Plan #2Â
New PK-8 School Â
Select Renovations to Canfield High SchoolÂ
72 Votes - Master Plan #1Â
New PK-4 SchoolÂ
New 5-8 Middle School  Â
Select Renovations to Canfield High SchoolÂ
64 Votes - Master Plan #7Â
New PK-6 SchoolÂ
Select Renovations to Canfield High SchoolÂ
Master Planning 5
During the session, while talking through master plan options, committee members used their phones to vote on their preference of site for each plan. It was clear from this exercise that site preference differed from configuration to configuration.
 
For those who favored a new Prek-8, the group was roughly divided in half and want to further explore the sites at Shields Road and Hilltop.
For those who favored a new 5-8 school, they would like to further explore constructing the building to the west of the existing Canfield Village Middle School.
For those who favored either a PreK-4 or PreK-6, they would like to further explore the Hilltop site.
The session ended by briefly reviewing information on locally funded initiatives. This covered what was included in each base master plan and other options that could be added on. The committee will further discuss what they feel will be important to add to any new schools in the next session.
During the fourth Facility Committee for Canfield Local Schools, members met to review the 8 master plans that the committee developed and began to make decisions on which they felt were the best candidates to pursue.
 New information was presented on the district's enrollment projections and budgetary cost adjustments for construction projects in Ohio for the upcoming year. Additionally, more questions continue to be gathered from committee and community members. These are being addressed during the committee meetings and on a FAQ on the Facility Project page.
Master Planning 4
 The majority of the session was devoted to working in small groups, with teams of 5-6 reviewing each plan, and determining the 2-3 plans they felt most strongly about. The group then presented to the larger group any pros and cons of their selected plans.
 This feedback and conversation provided context for all members on the broad interest patterns in the larger group.
 After each of the presentations, each member had the opportunity to vote on their individually preferred plans. Each person was provided 3 markers, a red, blue and green sticker to vote with. Red dots were worth five points, blue dots were three and green dots were one point. Members could then allocate these three dots across each (or all) of the master plan options.
 This exercise provides insight into the plans that the committee is most interested in further exploring in terms of site, cost and phasing.
 Among group discussions as well as individuals, master plans, 1, 2 and 7 were clearly identified as the most popular options, with the majority of committee members preferring Master Plan 2.
 Master Plan 1
Select Renovations to Canfield High School
A new 5-8 Middle School
A new PK-4 Elementary School
Potentially converting Hilltop to a special needs school or using for administration space
Abate and Demolish CH Campbell and CVMS
 
Master Plan 2
Select Renovations to Canfield High School
A new PK-8 School
Abate and Demolish CH Campbell, Hilltop and CVMS
 
Master Plan 7
Select renovations to Canfield High School
An addition to Canfield High School so it becomes a 7-12 school
A new PK-6 School
 In upcoming meetings, these three options will continue to be vetted, by marrying them to sites, looking at locally funded initiatives (LFI's) and understanding any potential project phasing.
The Facility Committee met a third time to continue exploring master plan options to address the facility needs for Canfield Local Schools. This session focused on answering questions, exploring potential site options not currently owned by the school district, and reviewing a series of "site fit tests" for various school configurations on district properties.
 The master planning process is designed to progressively explore the many facility configurations, costs, sites and options that can satisfy the needs of a school district. By including a variety of voices, the district can best satisfy the needs of the community and students through an inclusive planning process.
 To begin, Superintendent Joe Knoll answered a variety of questions from committee members that have come up during the process. Many of these questions are being captured on the district's website for interested community members. An FAQ page from the committee is under construction and will be updated on the website shortly.
 For those in the community with questions, please click here or email JKnoll@canfieldschools.net. We will incorporate them into future sessions.
Afterwards, the superintendent led the committee through alternate site options for potential facilities that the district doesn't own. While there initially appeared to be many options, several aren't feasible due to a variety of reasons, further study will continue to be done on this topic.
 The remainder of the session involved architects from ThenDesign Architecture walking the group through various "site fit tests" on each of the district owned properties. A "site fit test" is a process where designers develop the square footage size of a proposed school, lay it out on a particular site, add parking arrangements, building height and consider general site context to better gauge how a building solution could work on a site. Often several of these studies are done throughout the process to study a range of building scenarios.
 While the committee is still exploring options for site and layout, many were interested in better understanding how the current middle school site could be used as well as the district owned property on Shields road.
The next steps for the committee include further exploration of refined project costs into the various master plan options and site preferences proposed by committee members. This will include considering swing space during construction and the overall timeline for the potential project.
 With this information, the committee will then begin narrowing down master plan options and focusing on what they feel are their strongest options.
Canfield Local Schools held their second facilities master planning session on February 7th at the high school media center. With over 50 in attendance, this session focused on exploring the details of district-owned sites, then dividing into small groups to conduct a master planning exercise where community members developed their own plans that addressed the school's long term facility's needs.
While there were many differences between the plans, the majority prioritized replacing the middle school. When each group reported their plans, they took into account the recommended acreage for their solutions, according to the district’s available land.
District Owned Sites
The school district currently owns 5 sites, 4 of which are in the City of Canfield, and 1 that is located in the township. 4 sites already have existing schools, but provide opportunities and challenges.
After reviewing the sites, committee members broke into small groups and discussed the factors which impacted the plans they proposed. These factors included total project cost, building and grade arrangement, site preference and overall construction priority.
To view the solutions presented which will be explored and validated in future meetings, review the presentation below:
In future sessions, each of these solutions will continue to be vetted and discussed as the project continues. Additional considerations will be to better understand the impacts of phasing, construction timelines, traffic patterns and site layout.
Master Planning 2
Master Planning Session One (1.31.23)
On January 31st, Canfield Local Schools officially kicked off the master planning facility committee in the High School Media Center. Attended by a cross section of over 50 community members, the committee included current and past educators, business leaders, interested citizens and parents. The committee's goal is to review existing building conditions and improvement costs, evaluate site viability, educational adequacy and new construction cost models which drive the creation of district-wide master plan options. This work ultimately results in a master plan recommendation to the Canfield Board of Education.
This first session acted as an introduction to the planning process and centered on reviewing general information about the district, its facilities, an overview of the recent educational visioning session and ideas for master plan options that were developed there.
Future sessions are scheduled to run through April and the committee will be covering the following topics:
Examine in detail additional master plan options
Evaluate site information on district owned properties and any other potential options
Discuss locally funded initiatives for the plan
Review the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission funding considerations
Review the educational opportunities between renovated and new school examples
Master Planning 1
The group revisited master plan options that were discussed in the recent Educational Visioning session. While the group continues to generate questions on specifics of the plans, many were interested in further exploring the potential construction of a PreK-4 and new middle school. This is driven by the aging infrastructure in these buildings.
During a feedback activity, when asked what attendees hoped to achieve from the planning process, many of their ideas overlapped. However, two major ideas surfaced:
A transparent planning process that could unite the community and fulfill the needs of the school district.
A cost effective solution, that provides a healthy, safe and modern environment for future students.
Similarly, the committee indicated they were most interested in addressing the following topics:
Examining potential site options
Continuing to explore the costs between each plan, and better understand the maintenance costs associated with them
Exploring different building configurations and consolidation plans to better serve the district
Educational Visioning Session (1.23.23)
On January 23rd, members of the Canfield community, educators, local government, parents, and students gathered to attend an Educational Visioning Session hosted by ThenDesign Architecture. This all-day session focused on examining current facilities, developing a vision for the district and brainstorming master plans that address the aging facilities in the district.
Superintendent Joe Knoll commented, "Today, the goal was to build momentum on the discussion around facilities. We want to start talking with people about what the Canfield community will support in terms of a master plan to provide for students in the decades ahead."
With over 65 in attendance, everyone had a say in activities. The session was centered around 4 main topics. These included current facility conditions, educational adequacy, communication, and master planning.
First, attendees learned about the conditions of each school building from the educators and principals working in the district. This was followed by a discussion led by Claire Bank, an educational designer at TDA, on how modern educational environments positively impact students' experience. Second, attendees discussed their biggest priorities for the project. These "Guiding Principles" would be referenced throughout the master planning process. Next, each group brainstormed the various ways that the district and facility committee could most effectively reach their community with this information. Finally, they brought it all together and each group set to work developing their own facilities master plan for Canfield Local Schools. This included analyzing cost data, new construction vs. renovation, enrollment numbers and grade configurations in their proposed schools.
"What we are doing is bringing together a cross-section of our community, and those deeply invested in the school district, put our minds together, and develop ideas to address the aging infrastructure in the district," commented Nader Atway, a school board member.
Many conversations revolved around what to do with the 100-year-old Canfield Middle School and where this facility solution could be located. As the master planning process continues, the information developed from this session will inform future explorations.
Educational Visioning Session
Mr. Knoll is excited to develop facility plans, "We are preparing our students for jobs that don’t even exist yet. Providing a good educational experience for students is what it's all about."
He continues, "While facilities are only a piece of that puzzle, they play a big role. It's not the 1950s anymore, straight rows of desks and lectures all day aren’t effective to teach in the modern world. We see where the world is going and its collaborative. Students need the spaces for that."
For many of the existing buildings in Canfield, their support systems have reached the end of their lives and replacing them is costly. This also drives many of the decisions.
For Nader Atway, the project is personal. "Education is important because it sets up our children for future success. It is a "pay it forward" mentality. When we invest in the community and our kids, many people stay in our community, or come back years later to work and raise their families. It is part of our legacy."
The district is most interested in gathering feedback from the community, exploring facility options, and moving the project forward.
"We need to recognize that our schools are the hub of our community, they make a huge impact on the experience that people have living here."
The facility committee will meet regularly over the next several months to further develop and explore aspects of a facilities masterplan. Their work will culminate in a master plan recommendation to the board of education for a potential ballot issue.
In late September 2022, the district launched an in-depth master planning process, and encouraged the community to participate in the process, examining current facilities and attending master planning sessions to develop the best facilities plan for Canfield Local Schools.
This process, which was largely based on feedback from the community, has made significant progress. Last year, the district completed a series of open house tours of all facilities, examining them in detail. Now in the new year, we are beginning the master planning process.
Last October, community members, city officials, district staff, news media and educators toured Hilltop Elementary and C.H. Campbell Elementary, in November the group toured Canfield Village Middle School, and the High School in December. At each meeting, presentations were given by design and construction professionals that identified the strengths and weaknesses of the buildings, highlighted needed repairs and estimated costs for potential solutions. A “questions and answers” session followed, with those in attendance clarifying questions about school finance, building conditions and space usage. Full building tours were given by school principals, teachers, and maintenance staff.
For many in attendance, it was the first time they had seen Canfield’s buildings since they attended them decades ago.
For those looking to better understand each of the facilities, the presentations, building assessment materials and cost sets for each of the buildings are available on this website.
These tours helped inform the community on how aging facilities pose financial, educational and safety and security challenges to a district. They serve as a foundation for master planning discussions.
With a better understanding of the facility needs in the district, the master planning process can begin in earnest.
It kicks off on January 23rd, with an Educational Visioning Session. This daylong event brings together project stakeholders that includes district staff, community members, teachers, students, and business leaders and is designed to examine the various components of the project and set priorities.
Subsequent meetings will be held throughout February, March and April as the facility committee explores costs, educational adequacy studies, site plans, building arrangements and construction schedules. Their work ultimately culminates in a recommended master plan to the Board of Education that satisfies the educational and facility needs of Canfield Local Schools.
As a district, we are committed to transparency and providing informational materials to our community during this process. Findings from our Visioning Session and summaries of the master planning meetings will be accessible online at the district website. We welcome questions regarding these developing conversations. Feel free to send any questions you may have to Superintendent Knoll at jknoll@canfieldschools.net.
Providing students with an enriching educational environment, rigorous curricular programs, real-world opportunities, and passionate dedicated teachers is a recipe for success. Those, coupled with a supportive community means that we can provide the very best for our students and ensure that “Every Cardinal Counts.”
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