Decorah School Board, City Council Reach Compromise on Elementary School Site Plan

Our Driftless region deserves more than postcards — it deserves a watchdog. Be that support. DECORAH — The Decorah Community School District and City Council moved closer to resolving disputes over a new elementary school project during a special joint meeting Monday evening at Decorah High School, with design teams presenting revised plans that reduce parking but improve overall pedestrian circulation. The meeting brought together both boards, along with Patrick Alvord of Confluence Landscape Architecture, Tom Zahalka of Miron Construction, and Patty Spowart and Nick Hildebrandt of Emergent Architecture to address concerns raised at the last city council meeting where the site plan failed to gain approval. Parking Reduction Alvord presented a redesigned site plan that reduces parking from 111 stalls to 86. The reduction was achieved by eliminating nine stalls in the northeast corner and removing parking on the north side of the tennis courts. The design now accommodates 75 full-time staff members, down from an earlier target of 80, requiring 85 parking spaces under code (one per staff member plus 10 visitor spaces). "We struck a line relative to the site design and said 75 is the number, so we are designing for 75 full-time staff," Alvord said. The revised plan also includes a four-foot buffer strip between parking stalls and a 10-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side of the site. The sidewalk is now continuous across the north side down to the Highway roundabout. Circulation Changes On the southwest side of the building near the bus lane, parking was reduced from 13 spaces to seven by converting angled spots to parallel stalls. The parallel, ADA-accessible spaces are designed to be eight feet wide, with an eight-foot access aisle. The crossing location was moved behind the bus queue to prevent conflicts between parents dropping off students and buses. "This allows parents to have direct access from the parking lot to their classroom," Alvord said, noting that special education rooms with high-needs students are located in the southwest corner. The design maintains two-way traffic on State Street while potentially restricting the Claiborne Drive entrance to inbound traffic only during peak drop-off and pick-up times. Public Access Multiple gates are planned around the perimeter and would remain unlocked during non-school hours to allow public access to the playground. Council member Steve Zittergruen asked about signage indicating public access. "I'd like to see a reference to the signs," he said, "that there's going to be a visible indication that these facilities are open to the public during non-school hours." Zittergruen also voiced support for shared expectations with the school board going forward. "I'd like to see them written out," he added. City Manager Travis Godeken floated the idea of a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, as a way to achieve Zittergruen's goal rather than changing the site plan itself. Further discussion focused on maintaining open green space for community events such as Nordic Fest. The currently proposed fenced play area measures approximately 150 feet by 200 feet, or roughly 30,000 square feet. The play area is designed as synthetic turf over a rock base, though it will be bid as natural grass with synthetic turf as an alternate depending on pricing. City Council member Emily Neal asked whether natural grass could remain to accommodate community events. "I'm thinking for community space, you know, obviously astroturf is not ideal," she said. School Board President Cindy Goodner emphasized the importance of year-round play space for elementary students. "We want as much space for our elementary students to run and exercise outdoors during recess," she said, but also noted that teachers expressed concerns about muddy conditions with natural grass during Iowa winters. Spowart described a similar synthetic turf plaza in downtown Cedar Falls that hosts frequent community events, including concerts and holiday activities, without issue. Stormwater Challenges Alvord acknowledged ongoing challenges with stormwater management, particularly regarding a 54-inch pipe that runs through the site. "This is probably the biggest moving part of this from the design perspective," Alvord said. The team is evaluating changing the pipe material from corrugated metal to high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which has better flow characteristics and could help prevent siltation. However, questions remain about maintenance responsibilities. "The school doesn't have the equipment to maintain that pipe," Godeken said, noting the city is better equipped to handle such maintenance. Neal expressed concern about approving a site plan without fully resolved stormwater solutions. "It's a little uncomfortable to pass a site plan when you don't know actually what's been figured out for stormwater," she said. Tennis Court Agreement he boards also discussed the future of a 28E agreement for joint administration of tennis courts, set to expire in September 2026. Superintendent Tim Cronin indicated the district could manage the courts independently. "We would then answer to the taxpayers if they were locked up in the summertime," he said, though he noted there was no intention to restrict public access during non-school hours. Zittergruen suggested ending the joint agreement may be cleaner. "It seems to me like us having a role here is maybe creating complications where we don't need them," he said. The general consensus appeared to favor terminating the existing agreement rather than negotiating a renewal. The Path Forward The revised site plan must be resubmitted for city council consideration at the Dec. 1 meeting. A council member who voted against the plan at the previous meeting can make a motion to reconsider. Godeken indicated the school needs to submit updated design documents by noon on the Friday before the Dec. 1 meeting to allow time for council and public review. The parties also discussed developing a memorandum of understanding or facilities use agreement to document shared expectations regarding public access to school facilities. Zahalka noted the project is working against tight timelines. "Our main objective is to get it done before fall of 2027 for that school year," he said. Zittergruen thanked both the school board and the engineering team for their collaborative efforts. "I appreciate all of you, but especially the boards' willingness to contemplate even changes that are significant for the sake of council priorities regarding circulation, traffic flow and activity," he said. The meeting adjourned with plans to continue working on documentation ahead of the Dec. 1 deadline. Stay informed, stay inspired! Newsletter sign up is free and join hundreds of free subscribers who rely on DecorahNews.com for trusted information and fresh perspectives.