Work on new Laurel middle school is underway

By Eloria Newell James, community@leadercall.com

May 07, 2008 10:48 am

— School officials are fastly working with the goal of August 2009 as the opening date for the city’s new middle school.
Work in Phase 1 of the district’s Strategic Facilities Plan is nearing completion and officials are looking forward to Phase 2 of the plan.
While Phase 1 involved various improvements at the existing schools in the district, Phase 2 will include the construction of a new middle school.
Laurel School District Superintendent Dr. Glenn McGee told the media during a press conference Tuesday that tremendous progress is being made with the School District’s construction and renovation projects.
“Over the course of the next few months, there will be a lot of work going on around our schools,” McGee said. “You will see work going on at every school.”
McGee said the new Laurel Middle School — which will house sixth, seventh and eighth graders — will be located between Maddox and Stainton Elementary School on the site of the current baseball field.
“The School District owns 25 acres of land from the corner of Grandview to Ferrell and from Ferrell to 19th Street,” the superintendent explained. “The new school fits perfectly on this property with Stainton Elementary and Maddox.
“Upon the completion of the project, we will have approximately 1,100 students in this one area,” McGee explained, adding that the new middle school will be able to accommodate over 700 students.
McGee said the new facility will include a science lab, along with classrooms for art, computer, gifted studies, a media center, a commons area, a gym with space for 1000 seats; and space for band and chorus.
According to architectural plans, the new school will have three wings designated to the three grade levels being assigned to the middle school.
“For the most part, all of the academic studies for each of the grades will be handled on their (respective) wing,” McGee explained.
Documents for the new middle school are expected to be completed by May 26 with advertisement for bids occurring the end of this month and the first of June.
“Without question there will be major work going on this summer. However, there’s room for a lot of local participation,” McGee said. “We encourage the public to take part in the project and become involved in the process.”
The bids for the new school construction are expected to be opened on June 24. The letting of the contract is scheduled for June 27.
McGee said August 2009 is the projected date of completion of the new school.
“Once we construct the new school, we will be able to move some of the students into that facility,” McGee said. “The transition of students to the new school will allow more space at the other schools for improvement projects to be conducted.
“Some things being done inside the buildings require students to be absent,” he explained. “We expect it to take 12-14 months to get the middle school constructed.”
McGee said preliminary work on the site for the new building has already begun.
“The soil has already been tested and the property has already been surveyed,” the superintendent said. “We will have to disassemble the baseball field — all of the wiring, fencing and all the other items on the current field — will be used at the new baseball site.”
McGee said while officials know that the current baseball field will become the site of the new middle school negotiations are continuing for the school district to acquire property near the Laurel High School for the new baseball field.
The current Stewart M. Jones Middle School will become Jones Upper Elementary.
School officials plan to demolish the current gymnasium at Jones and to replace it with a new physical education facility, include central air and heat, make it American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, electrical and lighting improvements, renovate the cafeteria, build new gifted and general classroom, and construct new restrooms and a commons area. There will also be site improvements, including faculty parking, and the removal of portable buildings.
McGee said current estimates are for all of these projects to be completed for $44,700,000, with about $15,400,000 going to the new middle school.
“Hopefully when we have completed, we will have spent about $44 million to beautify and bring our schools up to date,” the superintendent said. “We hope to have all the work complete in two years making 2010 our target completion time. However, we will probably have some other projects to come up during this time.”
McGee said the bond issue will pay for $26.5 million of that work while other funding will come from district and state funds.

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