MONROE — Students in grades K-12 would go to the school in a single building with a central library, three gyms and classroom wings on either side, under a modified version of the most popular proposal for Monroe Local School District's future look.

        Superintendent Arnol Elam said Monday he was recommending a modification of so-called Plan A, based on a phone survey, design team, focus groups, meetings at churches and retirement communities, and comments from some 2,000 people who looked at five options during this month's CityFest celebration.

        “The response was overwhelming,” Mr. Elam said. “People were very supportive of Plan A, but they still wanted more separation of elementary and high school students and another gym.”

        The revised plan and comments received during CityFest will be presented to a community forum at 7 p.m., Thursday in the junior/senior high school auditorium. The board is expected to endorse the revised plan at its Oct. 1 work session, Mr. Elam said.

        The facility would be constructed on the flat area on top of the hill of the Matson farm at the northeast corner of Ohio 63 and Yankee Road.

        Architects Steed-Hammond-Paul Inc. modified the original drawings to include a third gymnasium for use by seventh- and eighth-graders, increasing the size of the building from 200,000 square feet to 208,000. It would be smaller than the senior high school gym, which is to be built to college specifications and could be divided into two smaller gyms. There is also an elementary gym.

        Other changes call for construction of additional hallways to further separate elementary from junior/senior high students, as well as separate parking areas for teachers, visitors and students. The new plan, still estimated to cost $29.9 million, allows for classrooms to be shut off from other areas in case of security breach.

        “At first, I was real leery of this,” said Chris Snyder, a 1975 Lemon-Monroe High School grad. “But now, I'm very positive. The main concern of the community was (providing for) separation of seventh- and eighth-graders from high schoolers, and they've done that.”

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