| Members
of the Owen County School Board hope to build a new middle school,
give new life to the old high school gym and bring a vocational
school to the county over the next several years.
But a number of things must take place before those ideas become
construction projects.
Board members discussed objectives at a Thursday night meeting
as they began compiling a four-year district master facility plan
for the school system.
School architect Ron Murrell, of Lexington-based Ross Tarrant
Architects, Inc., asked board members to brainstorm on what they
would like to see happen with the school district’s facilities
in the near future.
“You guys are in a great position” with property,
Murrell told the board members. “You really have an open
sort of road ahead of you to say, ‘Which way do I want to
go?’”
The board has received formal approval from the Kentucky Department
of Education on an option for a section of property next to the
existing county school campuses that could be used to build a
new middle school and provide room for other additions.
Next up on the land, Murrell said the board should have a title
search performed to make sure mineral rights have not been sold
or that any other actions that might have been taken will not
impede any construction on the property.
After that, the land would be surveyed and studied for sinkholes
and any other potential geographic problems, and the board would
need to ensure adequate utilities could be brought to the site.
According to Murrell, the board has six months to look at the
land and make a decision, then submit a plan to the department
of education.
At issue for the board as it moves forward with its facility plan
is ensuring enough space for future students as they move through
the ranks of elementary, middle and high schools.
“Everything gets freed up,” Murrell said. He said
the school could be built by the start of the 2009-2010 school
year.
Terry Patterson, board chairman, said the goal is to get enough
space at each grade level “so we’re not piece-milling”
The elementary school faces overcrowding as more kids are enrolled
into preschool and Head Start programs.
“If you look at school enrollment and capacity, it’s
the primary school that needs help,” said board member Carol
Shelton.
A plan the board seemed to favor is building a new middle school
for fifth-through-eighth graders; using the old middle school
for second-through-fourth graders; and leaving pre-school, kindergarten
and first grade at the elementary school.
Building an area technical school, if approved by the state, would
free up more classrooms at the high school by expanding the program
to freshmen and sophomores. Some juniors and seniors currently
attend a similar program at Carroll County High School.
Murrell said, in such a scenario, the state would agree to fund
the tech center and staff, while the county would foot the bill
for the property. If the state doesn’t approve the center,
he said, the land could still be used for a new bus garage and
records storage.
Further plans discussed by the school board is converting what
is left of the old high school into space for board of education
offices, an alternative school, and auxiliary gym among other
uses.
If built, the existing board office would likely be turned into
an adult education facility.
Board members expressed concerns over safety of the old high school,
which Murrell said could be alleviated during construction.
Superintendent Mark Cleveland said he is “scared to death”
moisture in the building could lead to a staph infection or other
problem. He said the drainage problem needs to be eliminated before
further construction is approved.
“If it’s not, I vote right now to take it down,”
he said.
But board members agreed to look into turning the building into
a multi-purpose facility.
“As far as athletic complexes go, we have nice facilities,”
said board member Brian Young. “But they’re overworked.”
The new middle school and multi-purpose building would help eliminate
the problem, board members agreed.
Murrell told the board that they could propose building the new
middle school, technical center and old high school renovation
concurrently.
Cleveland said, after the programs, the district will be “about
bonded out” but he noted that not many non-growth districts
discuss building a new school four years after completing one.
Murrell said he would prepare a cost estimate for the projects.
The board will then present its plans at a public meeting before
finalizing them and submitting them to the department of education.
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