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District seeks feedback on Ross Center 9/11 memorial courtyard redesign
Summary
Maintenance supervisor James Conquest presented preliminary designs to relocate the 9/11 memorial to the center of Ross Center’s courtyard, add a patio and seating, and recommended removing overgrowth and some trees to address drainage and encourage student use.
At the Board of Education workshop on Nov. 14, maintenance supervisor James Conquest presented preliminary designs to renovate the interior courtyard at the Ross Center and reposition the school’s 9/11 memorial to a central patio surrounded by seating.
Conquest said the courtyard is currently overgrown and has drainage problems caused in part by tree roots embedded in drainage pools. He recommended clearing most vegetation (keeping one desirable tree), removing a rotted gazebo, correcting the grade and reusing existing stone walkways as part of new paving and drainage solutions. Moving the memorial will require crane coordination and careful staging; Conquest said that work would best be done in the first week of summer when students are not present.
He asked the board for design direction and said the district plans to solicit multiple proposals and refine 3‑D renderings. Conquest suggested aiming to have plans and purchase orders in place by April 2025 so construction can occur over the summer and the courtyard could be finished ahead of Sept. 11, 2025. A board member asked about a reported smell; Conquest said the odor comes from decaying vegetation and standing water — not sewage — and framed drainage correction as the solution.
No formal decision or vote on the design was taken; Conquest sought feedback and direction from the board to advance design and procurement.
