The future of the former site of the old Erik Ramstad Middle School will be under discussion at the school board meeting, which will be livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel and its Facebook page at 4 p.m. today.

School superintendent Mark Vollmer said he will recommend that nothing be done about the land until the district has developed a comprehensive plan for the use of all its properties moving forward. The district has put out a request for qualifications for architectural firms that will work on developing a plan.

Among other items, a proposal might include how to convert a former Cognizant property into a second high school for the district. Last June, Cognizant agreed to sell the two buildings and surrounding land at 2000 21st Avenue NW to the school district for the nominal fee of $10. The district has other property that could be put to use. In March 2020, the school district acquired 70 acres located south and east of Erik Ramstad Middle School for the nominal fee of $1. The land had been owned by Northern Lights Idlewild, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company.

The former Erik Ramstad Middle School was destroyed by the flood of 2011 and the land near Minot State University has been vacant since that time. Vollmer said members of the community have used it for different purposes. The property still has a track and some Minot State University students and others have used it for parking space. It also has green space. The school district continues to own the property and to maintain it.

Vollmer will tell the board that the future use of that property, which he said could potentially include partnerships with other entities, should be part of the future planning.

The request for quotations from the architectural firms are due March 12 and a committee will review them and then come back to the school board with a report, said Vollmer.

Interviews with the finalists are scheduled for March 22 to 31 and the architectural firm will be selected by April 9.

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Cold weather issues resolved

Minot Public Schools Supt. Mark Vollmer said parents will usually get the best results and information they need by contacting building principals about any problems or concerns they might have. Some parents had posted on a local Facebook site last week expressing concerns about children waiting outside school buildings in extreme cold weather before buildings open. Vollmer said that issue has now been resolved. A parent who needs accommodations will be able to make arrangements with a building principal at some schools for a child to be allowed inside the building ahead of the normal school start hour if there are staff members there.

Vollmer said the school district has a “chain of command” and each building principal is usually in the best position to address concerns for a specific building. If a complaint is made to someone higher up in the chain, it takes longer to get information about the concern and potential solutions.

School administrators can’t address a problem if they haven’t been told about it, he said.