Myhre Elementary School's structure is good, but fixing some of its failings could cost the district $2.5 million or more.

The Bismarck School Board listened to a report from JPL Architects on the condition of Myhre School at its meeting Monday. The report was an examination of the school's interior and exterior, the building site, the mechanical and electrical systems and code compliance. The report also evaluated the school's property value.

"Several years ago, we identified Myhre as in need of major renovation," Superintendent Paul Johnson said.

As the school board began prioritizing its projects, it decided it wanted to know its options and the feasibility of going forward with the renovations because of future expansion on Bismarck Expressway and 12th Street.

Traffic flow, mechanical and electrical systems and code compliance were among the main concerns cited in the report. It could take $2.5 million to update the systems, bring the building up to current International Building Code and reroute the traffic flow around the school.

How traffic is directed around the school could be changed, but there is little the school or district can do about the traffic volume on Bismarck Expressway or 12th Street. Boundary changes could help ease the need for children to cross Expressway, or busing could ease the need for students to cross either street.

Principal Bill Demaree said a majority of his students live south of Bismarck Expressway. The school's enrollment has declined, in part because Lincoln students have started attending Will-Moore Elementary School. He said it could be free busing that is drawing them to Will-Moore instead of Myhre because the programs that are offered are nearly identical.

The mechanical and electrical systems are part of the original or subsequent additions to the school. The school was first built in 1972, with the additions constructed in 1974 and 1977. The systems make it difficult to expand or add air conditioning. The electrical system has code compliance issues.

Space, however, is an additional issue at the school. The school has 46,600 square feet with 20 classrooms and three portable classrooms.

It was built back when open classroom plans were in vogue. If it added an additional 10,000 square feet, it could accommodate its needs. It also would give it an opportunity to rearrange the entrance to the school and the direction of traffic coming into the school.

The report estimated these changes, including the ones to bring it into compliance with building code, at $4.1 million.

The district could try selling the land and starting over somewhere else. If it tried selling the Myhre property, it might fetch $2.2 to $3.1 million, depending on the buyer, according to the evaluation. But building a new school of the same size as Myhre, minus the land, could cost $7.5 million.

The board did not make any decisions on the report presented by architect Joseph Larivee of JPL Architects. From here, the district will discuss it's options and it will be one of the items up for discussion at the community forum in February. The forum is 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at Simle Middle School.

The report is available on the district's Web site for anyone who wants to read it. It is at www.myhre.bismarck.k12.nd.us.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)