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Highlands Today

Board Weighs Issues On LP School Construction

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: November 25, 2008

SEBRING - The School Board of Highlands County continues to ponder the issues of student safety, the need for new classrooms and tough budget times as it grapples with construction plans for new classrooms at the Lake Placid middle and high schools.

With a total estimated cost of $6.77 million for two new buildings, one at the middle school and one at the high school, the board has considered constructing one building between the campuses to be used by both schools.

Though the middle and high school students would be separated, the principals and school board members noted concerns of having younger and older students in the same building.

"It appears to me there needs to be a vote on it ... there is not a clear consensus," Superintendent Wally Cox said recently after the board discussed various options.

At a recent school board meeting, Facilities Director Dave Burnham presented a scaled down one-building plan.

The district is starting to run out of time so he based his suggestions on a design of a two-story classroom building under construction in Polk County, Burnham said.

"The closer I can come to using a design they (architects) are already familiar with the faster their design will come off the drawing board," he said.

The latest one-building proposal features a 19,676-square-foot first floor for the high school and a 15,600-square-foot second floor for the middle school.

The original separate building plans featured 26,000 square feet for the high school and 20,000 square feet for the middle school.

Based on $150-per-square-foot, it would cost an estimated $5.3 million to construct one building, which would be $1.7 million less than constructing two buildings, Burnham said.

School Board Member J. Ned Hancock said he prefers two buildings, but if declining enrollment becomes a trend, the expense can't be justified on two schools that are under utilized.

"I'm scared to death of what our finances are going to be," he said. "I'm not a big fan of overbuilding, especially at a time when most economists will tell you we are a long way off from starting any kind of a growth pattern."

Assistant Superintendent of Business/Operations Mike Averyt said the new buildings would not increase the overall student capacity, but would eliminate a lot of portable classrooms.

Hancock replied the schools would still have excess capacity.

Lake Placid Middle Principal Derrell Bryan said this building project would offer the opportunity to reconfigure his school's entire campus to make it more efficient.

School Board Member Wally Randall suggested using the smaller one-building design, but building the first floor on the high school campus and the second floor design on the middle school campus.
Burnham said that would probably save about $1 million.

After thinking about student safety, School Board Member Richard Norris said he favors the two-building concept.

The school board scheduled a regular meeting at 4 p.m., Monday to continue its discussion on the issue with the hope of making a final decision.

Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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