COEUR d’ALENE — Whether to rebuild or remodel Winton Elementary, one of the Coeur d’Alene School District’s oldest school buildings will be discussed during a “Community Conversation” the district is hosting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Winton, 920 LaCrosse Ave.

School district administrators and local architects from Longwell + Trapp will lead a community discussion on several alternatives for upgrading the school house built in 1928.

Winton is one of five schools slated for renovations that are being financed by a $32.7 million bond voters passed last summer.

“There have been no decisions made on how to approach Winton,” school district spokeswoman Laura Rumpler said. “We want community input. We want to talk through, with the community, the different avenues and opportunities prior to making any decisions.”

During bond planning discussions last year, school officials indicated that the funds included in the bond for Winton would be set aside until a study is conducted to determine the feasibility of moving forward with renovations.

Rumpler said Wendell Wardell, the district’s chief operating officer, and Bryan Martin, maintenance director, have worked with the architect and city planners to analyze various options for the Winton “footprint.”

“That’s what they plan to discuss Wednesday, to share what they’ve found out so far,” Rumpler said. “The decision about whether to remodel or rebuild will be made based on cost-effectiveness and best use, while honoring the community’s input.”

There is enough money in the bond to build a new school, Rumpler said, should the decision go that way.

Wardell told The Press on Friday that savings from the other school renovation projects at Sorensen, Bryan and Borah elementary schools, as well as Canfield Middle School — all included in the multi-million dollar bond — will be used for Winton, the last school in the district’s timeline for upgrades that will take place over the next few years.

Discussions about possibly replacing Winton are not new. It was on the school district’s facilities project priority lists in 2005 and 2006. The Long Range Planning Committee’s most recent facilities plan, finalized last year, places Winton ahead of every school in the district when it comes to the need for major renovations.

The 2012 facilities plan also states that the Winton and Sorensen buildings are both within a Lake City Development Corporation urban renewal district. The plan notes that LCDC could be a possible source of funding for the schools. Several years ago, the urban renewal agency provided $450,000 for improvements required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but it has not funded a Winton project.

Wardell said the school district doesn’t plan to seek funds from LCDC for a Winton rebuild.

Because of Winton’s age, there are several structural design flaws that affect teaching and learning at the school. Some classrooms are connected and share one door to the hallway, forcing children to walk through other classrooms throughout the school day. The room that serves as Winton’s cafeteria and gym is at the bottom of a steep set of stairs, making it difficult for people with disabilities to access the room without going outside and walking around the back of the building. Because the school was built long before there was a need for technology, there are no structural provisions for it.

Rumpler said school officials are also taking into consideration Winton’s history and the neighborhood’s attachment to the school building.

“We’re doing some unique community outreach for this project,” Rumpler said.

In addition to notifying the parents of students about the project, she said they are distributing literature about it to homes throughout the Winton attendance zone.

“We know how important this building is to the neighborhood, beyond the children and parents who attend,” Rumpler said.

The “Community Conversation” on Wednesday will be informal, similar to the “Community Chats” the district hosts each year.

Construction at Winton is expected to begin next year, in the spring or summer. The architectural plans will be developed this year.