CEDAR RAPIDS - Many of the central office services of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, including support departments and the Superintendent’s Office, will be temporarily relocated to modular buildings at Kingston Stadium while the District continues flood recovery efforts. The 35 modular structures will be located just north of the Kingston field at 707 15th Street SW. Each will be approximately 1400 square feet, contain bathrooms, and be fully wired for network access, telephones, and fax machines.

“Utilizing modules on school district property will serve our needs well while, at the same time, preserving lease properties for other community businesses and organizations,” explained Dr. Dave Markward, Superintendent.

Five District facilities, housing more than 180 employees, were seriously impacted by the flooding. These structures are the ESC, Annex, Warehouse, Carpenter and Paint Workshop, and Taylor Elementary School. There was also water in the basement at Harrison Elementary School.

Cleaning at Harrison has finished. Work continues at all other locations. Taylor will not open for class during the 2008-09 school year but will be repaired. No long term decisions have been made about the other affected facilities.

Warehouse functions, as well as the District Graphics and Printing Department, have already been relocated to leased space at 931 Blairs Ferry Road NE. The District Technology Department, servers and network equipment will also be located at the site. Other departments have set up temporary work stations at Jefferson High School and Franklin Middle School until the modular buildings at Kingston are available.

The departments that will be located at the Kingston site include the Superintendent’s Office, Accounting Services, Human Resources, Benefits and Payroll, Business Services, Community Relations, Continuous Improvement, Step-Up Preschool, Curriculum Services, Learning and Leadership, Research and Evaluation, Student Services, Special Services, Teacher Mentoring, TV-Media, Food and Nutrition and Volunteer Services. The complex will also include storage areas and meeting space for the Board of Education and professional development.

“We believe it is best to relocate most of our central operations in one location,” Markward explained. “The amount of interaction between departments is appreciable. Proximity definitely helps.”

“The Army Corps of Engineers has been commissioned by FEMA to provide all construction and acquisition services necessary to deploy the modular village as quickly as possible,” explained Steve Graham, Executive Director of Business Services. “At this time, it is anticipated that the overall deployment will take seven weeks to complete.”

During the time that the modular buildings are in use, athletic activities typically held on the north end of the Kingston property will be moved to a nearby location.

“Our staff members have been worked wonderfully well in addressing the myriad of challenges resulting from the flood,” added Markward. “We ask for continued patience and flexibility on the part of all staff members and stakeholders as we move to the next level of operation. Finding more permanent “temporary” housing for our operations is vital. We are fortunate to have the modular opportunity as a solution.”

The District hopes to have all offices relocated to the Kingston site by the start of the school year. Classes begin August 26.