MENTONE - No signed petitions have been received from Kosciusko or Fulton counties against the $10 million Mentone Elementary building project, so superintendent Karen Boling has directed architects to proceed with the project.

"I am delighted," said Boling. "I think this may be the first time in the state of Indiana that a project such as this one has had this much community support."

Boling attributed the lack of resistance to the project to the efforts of the Design Advisory Group, formed earlier this year. The group consisted of 19 members chosen from a cross section of the community serving the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. DAG members held six meetings to study the need for a building, options and the tax impact on the community. The school board accepted a recommendation from DAG that included approximately 62,000 square feet of new construction, 35,000 square feet of renovation and 42,000 square feet of demolition. It entails turning the building into a one-story structure, retaining the gymnasium and the 1967, 1987 and 1989 portions of the building.

Boling said by informing the people what the project entailed and the reasons it was necessary, DAG made a difference in getting the project off the ground.

The project is scheduled to begin in March of 1998 and be completed by the beginning of the 1999 school year. Boling said with no remonstrance, the timeline may be pushed forward, allowing an earlier start to the project.

R.W. Clinton & Sons is the architect for the project.

Steve Meno, Traub & Co., said the advertised estimate of $10 million is high. Actual costs will be determined when the project is bid. [[In-content Ad]]