North Winneshiek residents tell Decorah School Board not to sell the school building

About two dozen people attended a meeting Wednesday night of the Decorah School Board at the former North Winneshiek School.  School board members have been studying what to do with the building now that North Winn students attend school in Decorah.

After a 45-minute tour of the building, the school board opened the meeting to comments.  "Now is not the time to sell a building," said Brian Peterson, while Delbert Smith told school board members, "Look at all the space we've got."

Another person attending the meeting, Donna Rasmussen, presented three ideas for possible use of the building: using it as a school for 5th graders to help in the transition to middle school; creating a technology center for the school district; and creating a vocational education center for forestry, agriculture and industrial arts classes.

The building has been used as a center for the school district's homeschooling students, as well as a site for youth sports activities.  Decorah school officials have begun studying the possibility of selling the 28-acre site in the hope that some other owner would be able to make better use of the building.