When writing about portable buildings, you will inevitably come across a number of stories about portable classrooms that are being used in school districts with overpopulation problems. The usual solution in these schools is to add temporary buildings to the campus as a way to help herd together bigger groups of students when construction times are long and money is tight. However, as the summer is approaching, there are more reports about portable classrooms than usual, with many schools trying to build permanent spots for new classrooms before school is back in session this fall.
Sometimes though, portable buildings like classrooms and garages become permanent instead of being a temporary placeholder. According to an ABC 6 News story, a Minnesota school district is looking into buying two portable classrooms instead of continuing to rent them. The main problem lies in the location of the schools:
“Nearly 130 students currently use the two portable classrooms behind the Pine Island School, but the current lease is almost up and the district has to decide what to do with them. ‘We’re at the point now where the rate to lease becomes virtually the same as the rate to buy,’ said Superintendent Chris Bates. ‘But they are 6 years old.’
And therein lies the problem; they weren’t meant to be permanent. The district has looked at other buildings. ‘We need 5,000 square feet which virtually eliminates every piece of property in Pine Island,’ said Bates.”
New buildings are hard to build because of Pine Island’s status as a flood plain, which is generally not suitable for building whatsoever. No matter what the district decides, the classrooms, portable or permanent, need some space, because without it, the rooms have no value:
“But other than the space, the structures don’t have any long term value. Mainly, because they’re exactly what they were designed to be: temporary. ‘Sadly, temporary classrooms often become permanent…’ said Bates.”