When the ICCSD announced its decision to close Hoover Elementary in the summer of 2013, school board discussion shifted towards plans of compromise in the building of new facilities. Now, the building of a new elementary school is under way– and could hold many promising benefits for the future of Eastern Iowa City and the school district as a whole.

The New Hoover Elementary school, located at the intersection of American Legion Road and Barrington Road, is set for completion in 2017. The current plan for new Hoover flaunts a 65,000 square foot, two-story design; the school will also feature more than 20 classrooms, an outdoor learning space, and a wing specifically dedicated to preschool and kindergarten education.

The East side of Iowa City has not seen a new elementary school since the building of Lemme Elementary in the 1970s; For City High Principal John Bacon, the lack of East side school developments in the last 40 years strongly contributes to his support of the district’s decision to construct new Hoover.

“My entire life has basically been dedicated to serving the East side neighborhoods, and I want nothing but the best for the East side of Iowa City,” principal John Bacon said. “A decade ago, [the building of a new school] was supposed to happen, and it did not. The need for an elementary school East of Scott Boulevard is long overdue.”

Although the two schools will share the same name, the new Hoover will not be a “relocation” of the current Hoover elementary once it closes.

“Because the naming committee decided to choose the same name for the two schools, it creates some confusion. It’s really more like closing one school and opening another,” superintendent Steve Murley said. “Each school will have different populations of students.”

New Hoover’s official groundbreaking took place on April 5th, drawing in a modest crowd of teachers, students, parents, and district officials alike. Lindsey Andrew, a parent of a first grader at current Hoover and attendee of the monumental groundbreaking, is eager to see the outcomes of New Hoover.

“[My son and I] thought attending the groundbreaking would be a great opportunity, because we are very excited about a new school being built on the East side,” Andrew said. “I think that we do need more schools in this area, and it will be really exciting for my children to be able build a sense of community with their neighbors and be able to attend the same school as them once the new Hoover gets going.”

Aside from the excitement surrounding the plans to build the new elementary school, certain groups of citizens, such as the Save Hoover Committee, continue to fight for the preservation of the current Hoover. Although no definite resolutions have been made, the topic of keeping the current Hoover open continues to be addressed at school board meetings. Murley considers the proposal a possibility.

“There seems to be definite interest among the board at this point in time in continuing [old] Hoover,” Murley said.

Although Bacon recognizes the arguments made by the proponents of Hoover’s conservation, he believes that the new district layout will be more logical.

“It’s a very complicated issue, and there are pros and cons. On one hand, I completely respect people that want to see Hoover stay open. It’s a great school and I understand how hard it is to think about changing,” Bacon said. “On the other hand, the East side has grown. I believe in the new facility master plan, and I believe that the pros of the plan outweigh the cons.”

Bacon also believes that using the extra land provided by the current Hoover will have long term benefits for City High, creating equity among the district’s three comprehensive high schools and providing valuable additions to campus, such as a new gym, new classrooms, and an improved cafeteria.

“The new Liberty High School will have state-of-the-art facilities. City High is growing, and I do believe that it’s important to have equity among facilities. There are some additions to City High that could not happen without the expanded land [from closing Hoover],” Bacon said. “We hope to see amazing facility enhancements.”

The new Hoover will also have considerable effects on the redistricting of surrounding neighborhoods. Bacon hopes that the construction of Hoover will attract more families to the East side of Iowa City.

“Building a new school can be very attractive [to families]. I think that new Hoover will bring in the continued growth and development that we have not seen since the building of Lemme in the 1970s,” Bacon said.

Some students and parents, however, still feel greatly impacted by the proposals to close the current Hoover.

“There definitely is a sense of loss, and I think we have to acknowledge that. That is one thing that played into the decision to name the new school ‘Hoover Elementary’,” Murley said. “We wanted to make sure that people would still have that sense of tradition and connection as they did with the old Hoover.”