The soon-to-be-empty Bowling Green Junior High School building appears to be moving into the cross hairs of the committee charged with making a recommendation for a new Bowling Green city building.
Throwing out the "option" of doing nothing, the junior high building had the best score this morning when the mayor's ad-hoc committee studying the issue finished its lengthy work on a matrix to evaluate six options.
The matrix is one of several tools the committee will consider before making a recommendation to the mayor and city council. It will then be up to council to decide how to move forward.
Eventually the issue will have to go to voters to approve a bond issue to pay for construction. Council would have to decide by mid-August if the issue is to qualify for the November ballot. Over the several years the committee has existed, cost estimates have ranged up to $12 million but more recently a $10 million estimate has been frequently mentioned.
During a brief stay at the meeting this morning, Mayor John Quinn said he would have financial information (another tool) for the committee at its May 5 meeting.

The options and their rank are: 1)Status quo; 2) Junior high building; 3) Satellite office building; 4) New building on the present city building site; 5) Central Administration Building, 140 S. Grove St.; 6) new building on a new site.
BG's Board of Education has taken no formal action on its plans for the junior high building. The new middle school on West Poe Road behind the high school is expected to be ready early this summer.
When the committee was formed more than four years ago, a study indicated the city needed 40,000 square feet of space. A new structure would be expected to meet the city's needs for at least 30 years.
The junior high building contains approximately 100,000 square feet. Discussions have indicated that about 40,000 square feet would be demolished, leaving the three-story portion of the building that fronts on Wooster and Church streets. The third floor would be remodeled and used as needed in the future.
Early on the committee also decided that a downtown location was a priority.