By Staci DaSilva
sdasilva@kcautv.com
The Sioux City School board voted Monday night to keep all 5 possible site ideas for a replacement Bryant School on the table.
But, members also agreed to get down to business.
It's down to 5 possible ideas, 4 of which would mean taking away homes.
Sioux City developer John Gleeson offered 2 options to rebuild at the Bryant site.
But, School Board member Doug Batcheller says those plans aren't up to standards for things like parking, green space, and safety.
"The 2 concepts that were presented did not meet any of those," said Batcheller.
Another idea is a site near the current school on Jones Street. Members voted to meet with homeowners before moving further.
"Give them the information they need. When would they be expected to leave? What could they expect to get for their homes? What's the process?" said Board Member Molly Williams.
Sunken Gardens and Hubbard Park remain on the list. Lastly there's Leif Erikson Park.
That's been a point of contention between the School District and the City.
The City of Sioux City actually forbid the School District from studying the site at all and there's been a number of community members who've voiced their objection to the idea.
But it's still on the Board's list.
"Leif Erikson is still the best Bryant replacement site in my mind," said Board Member Walt Johnson.
So, while they mull over the options, the School Board is going to hire an architect to figure out the options for the current Bryant site. That will help them make a better decision.
The School Board also officially hired Neumann Monson Wictor Architects to design the new Hoover campus.
This discussion got slightly heated when Doug Batcheller suggested a vote to expand the current plan from 650 students to 800 students.
Some folks saw that as a surprise.
"This is something commonly known as bait and switch. Without taking that into account is quite frankly irresponsible," said Dan Greenwell of Sioux City.
"We're looking for anchors for our community. If this anchor is pulled to the northside of Sioux City, it brings everything with it," said Mary Ellen Hartman of Sioux City.
The expansion vote did not pass, in fact the amendment for a future study for the 800 student school failed 4-3.
The plan is to house Bryant Elementary students at the new Hoover site when Bryant's under construction and possibly even keep some there for good.
