Additional Protections Sought For City Elementary Schools

The Winona Heritage Preservation Commission is seeking state funding to add the city's four elementary schools to the Local Register of Historic Places. The move comes as Winona Area Public Schools officials have renewed discussions about replacing the existing schools with a single new elementary education facility.

School officials have cited annual cost savings of as much as $800,000 if the current elementary schools were to be replaced by a new single K-4 school. Central, Jefferson, Madison and Washington-Kosciusko Schools are already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but local historic designation would mean significant additional protection for those buildings. Local designation would not mean that they would need to be used as schools but would require city approval for major changes to the buildings or their demolition.

If state funding for the work is awarded, the City Council could conceivably be asked to approve the new status for the four buildings before the end of this year. No state or federal approval of the new status would be required.