Major changes were made in plans for a new seventh and eighth grade center for Kingfisher during a recent collaborative session.

On Monday at its regular June meeting, the Kingfisher Board of Education got its first detailed look at the changes and potential design plans.

Presenting the plans were Jeff Wegener and Jason Hukill with LWPB Architecture of Oklahoma City, which has been tasked with the design.

“We had a really good group meeting,” said Jeff Wegener, a principal with the firm who was referring to a collaborative meeting held at the high school last month in which teachers, board members, parents and other community members were invited to offer input on every aspect of the potential new facility.

Such a meeting, in architecture terms, is referred to as a charrette.

“We got a lot of input that led to this,” Wegener said.

Originally, the structure was planned for the north edge of the high school campus, directly west of the north end of the high school building.

However, a number of issues, most notably large amounts of drainage, deemed that area unsuitable.

That led planners to propose a two-story structure be built just south of the APB and east of the football field, which is now a parking lot.

This plan, however, would set off a domino effect of changes:

• The current parking on the south end of campus is used by high school students during the day and multiple events and activities at the APB during off-school hours.

• If a building is constructed, some parking areas will be pushed as far south (toward Will Rogers Avenue) and east (toward 13th Street) as possible. The number of spaces would be reduced from 367 currently to 318.

• However, as Wegener said, “we don’t recommend mixing high school drivers with middle school students.” To alleviate that, a high school parking lot would be built on the back side of the high school where the new building was first proposed. That would include 239 parking spaces.

• If that happens, a new, secured entrance would be made on the west side of the high school building for students and teachers.

• The new lot would also be used for event parking, meaning an additional entrance to the APB would be constructed on its northwest corner. “This would also help address some of our ADA concerns,” Supt. Jason Stern-berger said, noting the easier access for handicap patrons.

• A new parking lot would also push the football practice field further west to an area that is already mostly maintained by the staff.

• The new parking lot would also mean a new, improved access point on Will Rogers on the south end and, potentially, on 13th Street that would loop around to the new lot.

If approved, the new structure would also mean different access points on both 13th Street and Will Rogers for school drop-off and pickup.

As for the structure itself, it would include two stories, a cafeteria and kitchen, an oversized storm shelter and enough classroom space for growth.

The additional classrooms were products of the charrette as was adding enough space for vocal and band students to keep them from having to traverse from the center to the north end of the high school on a daily basis.

Wegener said his firm has submitted the plans to Joe D. Hall, the general contracting firm that is serving as the construction manager for the project.

“They will tell us how this affects it from a budgetary standpoint,” Wegener said. “And the budget will tell us how far we can go.”

Board members, all of whom were present except Dana Golbek, offered their support of the plans to this point.

“It’s a fairly simple layout and I think it works,” Wegener said.

Once LWPB and Joe D. Hall are able to work out the details, final designs will be put together.

Then it will up to the board to decide to call for a bond election and put the matter before voters.