Cook County Schools to host two public meetings this week for proposed school facility improvements

As Cook County Schools works towards identifying needed facility and grounds improvements, the school is hosting two community sessions this week to share an update on the current plans. 

In recent months, the school hired DSGW, a Minnesota-based architectural firm, to find solutions for facility and grounds improvements.

Some identified improvements include adding co-curricular facilities such as a track field, creating a commons area for students, and upgrading locker rooms, bathrooms, and classrooms. 

As the school continues to narrow the improvement plans, Cook County Schools will hold its first public meeting on Wednesday, May 1, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Portage Log Building. 

Then, a second public meeting will be held in the Cook County Schools cafeteria on Thursday, May 2, at 5 p.m. Architects and representatives from DSGW will attend both sessions. 

The two community sessions will allow the public to learn about improvements and submit additional comments or feedback. 

As the school works to finalize the needed facility and grounds improvements, it has launched an informational website, Vikings Vision, for the public to stay up-to-date on the process. 

Currently, VikingsVision.org includes preliminary results from the building assessments, which identified several areas needing future improvements, such as a need for a common and multi-purpose gathering space, undersized secondary classrooms, a shortage of physical education space, and classroom storage space. 

Chris Lindholm, the Cook County Schools superintendent, told WTIP in a recent interview that VikingsVision.org will be updated regularly throughout the coming months as the facilities planning process continues. “The goal is that by the end of May, the board has voted on what the questions will be because then we need to submit all of that to the Department of Education for approval before we can put it on a ballot in November.”

District residents can submit questions or feedback about the district’s work to evaluate its buildings at VikingsVision.org/connect or by contacting Superintendent Chris Lindholm at clindholm@isd166.org or 218-387-2271 ext. 612.

Kalli Hawkins April 30, 2024