School: Owen-Withee (New School 1983)

Contact: Kathleen E. Englebretson

Email: kathy@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Brockhaus, Renderman, Sluzewski, Nelson, Laube, Feldman

---Source: Marshfield News-Herald (16 April 1983)

Owen-Withee breaks ground for school

OWEN -- Some Owen-Withee kindergarten students were not quite sure what to expect Friday afternoon when they arrived by bus at the high school.

From what their teacher had told them, they expected to see the land east of the school being split apart. It was a groundbreaking ceremony after all. What they saw, however, were various school officials taking a gold shovel and digging a small hole in the area where their new school will be located.

That act may not have seemed too impressive to the youngsters, but when they begin class in a brand new school building in August of 1984 today's bewildered kindergarten students are almost certain to be excited second graders.

Many of 385 students from the district's two elementary school who attended the ceremony were already excited as they anticipated moving into the new, 56,000-square-foot building.

Sasha Brockhaus, a fourth grader, was excited.

"I've never been around when they were building a school," she said.

Classmate Mark Renderman said he expected the new building, which will open the year he enters the sixth grade, to have better desks.

School administrators and Board members seemed equally enthusiastic, but for more significant reasons than that the new building will have nicer desks.

"We've reached another milestone in education in O-W," said Board President Edward Sluzewski.

District Administrator Gerald Nelson thanked the administrators, Board members and architect who had made the groundbreaking ceremony and planned new building possible. He offered special thanks to the 535 voters who had approved construction of the new school in a December referendum.

Unlike four previous referendums voters decided to authorize borrowing $1.7 million for building the new school and some energy improvements in the high school building.

"This is something we've been looking forward to for a long time." Nelson said.

The building will combine elementary school operations that are now divided between deteriorating facilities in Own and Withee. The Owen building was built in 1907 and the Withee school was constructed in 1890. A study a decade ago said the buildings should be replaced because of their worsening conditions.

The new school will be built to the southwest of the 72,000-squarfe-foot high school. Hallbeck and Group. Eau Claire, designed the structure and Johnson Brothers, Tomahawk, will be doing construction.

The $2.6 million project is being financed through $1 million that the district has been saving for such a building and bond sales.

The building's modular format will include a gym and media center in the center, Nelson said. Four sections coming off that center will house administrative offices and classrooms for students from pre-school age to sixth grade. The new school will also include music and art rooms.

Nelson said the new facility is expected to allow school officials to make better use of educational TV and computer equipment since everything will be in one building and on one level, not three levels like the existing buildings, In addition, Classrooms will be located side by side, making it easier to exchange students and equipment for various activities.

Board member Harriet Laube, who took out the first scoop of soil from the school site, didn't have any problems getting the shovel into the ground. Recent precipitation provided extremely soft, wet conditions that may have made work easier for the ceremonial ground diggers, but may delay actual work, which is scheduled to start Monday, Nelson said.

Barring major delays, however, construction is expected to be completed by March and the building should be ready for occupancy June 2, 1984.

Art Feldman, elementary school principal, said it could be a long 12 months as teachers and students spend one last year in their older facilities, making comments like -- "Just wait until next year and we'll be able to do this a lot better."