R-IV School Board Weighs Use of MODOT Buildings

City Administrator Beverly Hicks led the Willow Springs R-IV School Board on a tour of the buildings once occupied by MODOT. Several months ago, the school district partnered with the Willow Springs Community Foundation on a USDA grant that provided the necessary funds to hire an engineer to complete a feasibility study on the buildings, Superintendent Bill Hall told Howell County News. The results of the initial phase of this study were presented to the City Council at their regular meeting on September 16. The City is nearing the end of a ten-year lease of the buildings from MODOT. This tour was scheduled as a result of that meeting so the School Board could inspect the buildings for themselves and determine whether the school would want access to one or both the buildings for educational programs. 

At this time, the main floor of the south building is subleased to Children’s Behavioral Services, LLC, owned by Amanda Riviello. 

“We don’t have the capacity to expand programs in our current location,” Superintendent Hall explained.

The school district is considering using the MODOT building for career and vocational programs as opposed to trying to build new buildings for this purpose. Hall said there is a “big push at the state level” to expand career and vo-tech education offerings. 

At this point in the decision-making process, the district is “nearing the end of the feasibility study.”

The results of this feasibility study will be presented to the School Board at their regular meeting on October 11. 

The Board seems overall supportive,” Hall said, “[The buildings] seem very functional and usable.”