By ALLISON WOOD

Staff Writer

WESTFIELD TWP. — The days of children in the Cloverleaf Local School District attending three different elementary schools in Lodi, Seville and Westfield Center are coming to a close.

Using sales tax revenue, the district is planning to construct a new elementary school building on Buffham Road as the first part of a two-phase plan to move all the district’s schools to a central location.

The building, which will cost about $25 million, will house all students in grades kindergarten through four, Superintendent Daryl Kubilus said.

The project is still in the design stages, with construction expected to begin next spring and set for completion in the 2010-11 school year.

The 128,000-square-foot building will be constructed using the Ohio School Facilities Commission’s building standards, which encourage environmentally friendly and energy-efficient designs, he said.

“The community is looking for a functional building,” Kubilus said. “We are not looking to build a ‘Taj Mahal.’ ”

This school will save the district money in the long run because it will be more efficient to operate and make transportation more convenient, Kubilus said.

Lodi Elementary was built in 1914 and Seville Elementary in 1916. Many elementary students in the 110-square-mile district must now take two buses each way to get to school, Kubilus said.

“About two-thirds of our elementary kids are taking the shuttle,” he said, meaning students are picked up near their homes and dropped off at another school before boarding another bus to their home school.

“It will be a lot nicer for parents.”

The district made this decision after holding community meetings and conducting a survey of the district’s residents, said Robin Neeson, Cloverleaf‘s community education director.

The building will be on a 47-acre plot the district already owns across the street from Cloverleaf Middle School. The district will not need to pass a bond issue for the elementary school’s construction since it will be funded using future sales tax revenue. County voters passed a 0.5 percent sales tax in May 2007, with the revenue going toward school building projects.

After construction is completed, the elementary buildings likely will be offered to their respective villages first and sold if they are not interested, Kubilus said.

Phase two

Whether students in fifth and sixth grades will have classes in their own building or become part of the middle school is yet to be determined, Kubilus said. Those students currently attend Westfield Elementary School in Westfield Center.

The second phase of the district’s construction plan will include the renovation and expansion of Cloverleaf middle and high schools, he said. These projects are still in the research phase.

This construction phase will require the passage of a $28 million bond issue, but the issue will not be placed on the ballot until the elementary building is completed, Kubilus said. If the bond issue passes, the district would receive an additional $21.2 million in state funding toward construction.

Kubilus said he spoke to parents about the building plan during open houses and will make about 40 presentations to different organizations, including Rotary clubs and village councils.

“Constituents take a lot of pride in the district,” he said. “The new building is going to help.”

Wood may be reached at 330-721-4050 or allisonwood@ohio.net.

The Plan

Phase

– Construction of a new elementary building on Buffham Road for kindergartners through fourth-graders with a projected finish date in 2010.

– Construction to be funded with sales tax revenue.

Phase 2

– Expand and renovate Cloverleaf middle and high schools after the elementary building is completed.

– Would require voters to pass a bond issue.