Historic Twin Cities Elementary demolished after a century in Sand Springs

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A historic piece of Sand Springs is nearly gone as Twin Cities Elementary undergoes demolition. After sitting vacant for nearly a decade, the building is finally coming down after the Sand Springs Board of Education decided that it would be too costly to ever reopen. 

Twin Cities first closed her doors in 2003 after 83 years of helping to rear young Sandites. Later that year it was reopened as the Sandite Child Development Center before being closed again in 2009 after the construction of the new Early Childhood Education Center.

Eight years later, the building is a pile of bricks--cut down just a few years shy of her centennial anniversary. 

In January of 2016 the school board listed the school and its grounds for sale by owner. After the district received little market interest, Superintendent Sherry Durkee consulted with Montie Box of Montie Box Realtors and concluded that the building's last appraisal was overly generous due to substantial deterioration, mold infestation, and other problems.

Recommendations were made to the Board of Education in November of 2016 that the building be demolished with the property retained for possible district expansion in the future. In May the Board approved a $55,449.50 contract with American Demolition to raze the structure.

Robert Purser was the last principal to head the school, taking the reigns in 1998. He passed away in 2008 and his funeral service was held just two doors down from Twin Cities at Olivet Baptist Church. 

Twin Cities was one of the oldest buildings still standing in Sand Springs. The former Booker T. Washington High School was demolished in 2010, leaving just two schools from the original  township. Garfield STEAM Academy and the Central Ninth Grade Center are now the oldest educational facilities in Sand Springs. Garfield received a $6.5 million renovation over the summer of 2016.

Jake Thompson receives Sandite Spirit Award, Board of Ed discusses curriculum/facilities

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All State Band member Jake Thompson is presented with the Sandite Spirit Award. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

The Sand Springs Board of Education met in a regular monthly meeting Monday evening and discussed budget cuts, facility renovations, and the future of High School education in Sand Springs. They also presented Jake Thompson with a Sandite Spirit Award.

Thompson was recently named to the All State Band for French Horn, and was also a member of the Winter Percussion unit that won their first State Championship this past weekend.

Thompson spent seven months practicing more than an hour a day in preparation for Districts to earn his way to the All-State competition. From there he was among a hundred musicians who competed for the twenty positions on the All-State Band. 

"In Northeast Oklahoma we have some of the best competitors in the country," said Charles Page High School Band Director Kyle Wright. 

Additionally, Thompson learned how to play symbols this past year for the Winter Guard and Percussion of Oklahoma competitions. 

Charles Page staff gave a presentation regarding the school's transition to a career-pathway style of teaching. In the coming years the school will be providing classes structured around different career paths with unique curriculum for each student. The presentation discussed trying to build a career-preparatory culture at CPHS with enhanced college and career counseling. The school expects all students to graduate academically prepared for either college or a career.

Part of the career-pathway presentation addressed "redefining the senior year" and allowing seniors to earn credit hours through part-time jobs, internships, or apprentice ships. Students who maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher with good attendance will be able to participate in the High Schools that Work pilot program. Students who participate will have to turn in weekly pay stubs and take a biweekly class tied into their on-the-job learning.

Superintendent Sherry Durkee gave an update on the SSPS facilities, including the former Twin Cities Elementary building and the Ed Dubie Field House. 

Twin Cities was listed for sale by owner last year, but has had little market interest. According to Durkee, the building is deteriorating and has substantial problems including mold. After consulting with Montie Box of Montie Box Realtors, they concluded the building's last appraisal was overly generous, and it's not worth the cost of restoration. Durkee believes the District's best option is to demolish the building and retain the property for future growth in that area. The Indian Education facility located next to Central Ninth Grade Center is also in rough shape and expected to be demolished in the future.

The Ed Dubie Field House has been without a playable basketball court for more than a month now after moisture cause the floor to warp. The CPHS Girls' Basketball team earned the right to host a Regional Playoff this year, but had to move to Broken Arrow after the damage was uncovered. The current floor was installed in 1978, making it about time for replacement anyways. Comparably, the National Basketball Association requires its teams to replace their floors every ten years. Hardwood installation typically takes about six weeks for a basketball court, and the district is hoping to remodel by July when volleyball practice begins. 

The Board approved a contract with Oklahoma LED for a $445,596 project to replace the entire district's lighting fixtures with LED strip lights. The LED lights are expected to result in major energy savings for the district in the future. Oklahoma LED projects electric savings of up to 80% in the first month.

Changes to Sand Springs bus routes has parents scrambling

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Two citizens in the Anderson School District expressed concerns at the Sand Springs School Board meeting Monday night regarding the Board’s decision to eliminate some bus routes into neighboring school districts.

Districts such as Anderson, Keystone, Pretty Water, and Allen Bowden, that do not offer full K-12th grade classes, send students to Sand Springs schools on an open transfer once they reach a certain age.

In the past, the Sand Springs school district has bused those students into the district, but budget cuts have eliminated some of those routes.

Sand Springs is asking parents to drop their kids at bus stops within the Sand Springs district boundary, but some parents are finding that difficult and asking the Sand Springs Board of Ed to postpone their decision to the next school year.

For parents whose work schedules prevent them from taking their kids to school in the morning, the change would have some kids walking miles to the nearest bus stop. Extreme heat and winter weather, coupled with shoulderless roads and the possible threat of unsavory strangers, has many parents concerned.

Anderson School District is having a bond election on August 23rd that, if passed, will provide $250,000 for transportation equipment amounting to three new buses. At this time, however, Anderson schools haven’t addressed if the new buses would allow for routes into the Sand Springs school district in the future.

In other news, Superintendent Sherry Durkee informed the Board that the Twin Cities facility has had an interested party, but no offer has been made as of this time.

The Pratt Elementary playground is expected to be completed this week.

Board of Ed President Mike Mullins has been selected to be the recipient of the 2016 Oklahoma State School Boards Association Distinguished Service Award later this month. The award is given to only one individual a year at the annual OSSBA/CCOSA Conference in Oklahoma City. Mullins is a twenty-year veteran of the Sand Springs Board of Ed, and was nominated by Superintendent Durkee.