WSD Invited Community in for Heritage Building Tour
Feb. 29, 2024
Wentzville School District invited the community to tour Heritage Primary and Intermediate last month as part of its 2023-24 community roundtable series. Attendees saw first-hand the facility challenges of the Heritage building and discussed other needs outlined in the new WSD comprehensive master facilities plan.
Tour guides highlighted areas for potential improvement at Heritage, such as the lack of electrical outlets, limited networking capabilities, narrow hallways, low ceilings, ADA challenges, disjointed flow in the non-centralized shared spaces, and long travel times between specials.
They also showcased the many ways the Heritage staff have creatively worked to overcome these challenges for students and staff.
The Heritage building was first constructed in 1957 as the original Wentzville High School. Over the next 66 years, seven additions have been made to the building. These additions have expanded the size of the Heritage building to approximately 148,000 square feet.
Heritage includes instructional space for primary elementary students (grades kindergarten-1-2) and intermediate students (grades 3-4-5). Starting next school year, the building will operate as one school, Heritage Elementary.
“We are committed to honoring the legacy of Heritage,” said Dr. Danielle S. Tormala, superintendent of schools.
While funding has not yet been allocated for Heritage, the District is exploring the possibility of a no-tax-rate increase bond issue to help fulfill this need, in addition to addressing other priorities identified in the facilities master plan.
District officials invite community members to join them at 6 p.m. on March 5 at Timberland High School to provide feedback on other potential bond priorities, which may include building additions, safety and security enhancements, land acquisition, and other matters. RSVP for the event here.