ThisWeek CW 06/25/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/22/groveport-madison-district-july-vote-expected-on-budget-for-school-construction.html

The architect designing Groveport Madison’s new high school building told the board of education June 10 he expects to have a construction budget for the project ready for a vote in July.

“The package of our semantic design documents, basic plans and the look of the site and the building is in with the construction manager for review,” project architect Chris Dumford said. “Our plan is to have the cost estimating completed and reconciled before the next board meeting for your formal approval.”

Dumford said if the construction manager estimates the current design and plans will cost more than anticipated, there would be an opportunity to review and reconcile the differences. He said this could mean getting new estimates or could involve alterations to the plans.

If the board approves the budget at its July 8 meeting, Dumford said some utility and site preparation work could begin yet this summer.

“There were some images put out to get some feedback from the community,” Dumford said. “A lot of good, mostly positive feedback came in and there was also an opportunity to answer some questions, which we’ve done our best to answer.”

One question that was asked repeatedly had to do with the construction schedule, he said.

“Some preparatory site work will be done this summer and into winter, but the major construction activities will begin in the spring of 2016,” Dumford said. “Construction of the new school is scheduled to be complete by the summer of 2018, with demolition of the existing high school and associated followup site work to be completed by the end of 2018.”

Mary Guiher, the district public relations officer, said an online questionnaire and photos had reached 14,000 people, which board member Libby Gray noted was more than the number of people who voted on the district’s last levy issue.

Gray expressed concern that with student enrollment trending upward again, the completed building would not be large enough.

Dumford said the building design anticipates a student fluctuation of as much as 10 percent; beyond that, he said, the district would have to ask for an increase in building funds from the Ohio School Facilities Commission.

“The building design would allow for the easy addition of another block of classrooms at either end,” he said.

Contest winners

Before the start of the June 10 meeting, district officials announced the names of students chosen to participate in an Aug. 22 groundbreaking for the new high school.

Students in kindergarten through third grade were selected based on their renderings of the new high school building.

Students in fourth through 11th grade were selected based on essays they wrote about what the new high school would mean to them.

The winners are:

Samaya Cooper, a kindergartner at Dunloe Elementary; Angel Carrera, first-grader at Madison Elementary; McKenna Miller, second-grader at Sedalia Elementary; Dominick Glass, third-grader at Sedalia Elementary; Paige Gilden, fourth-grader at Groveport Elementary; Jordan Ramella, fifth-grader at Sedalia Elementary; Tori Banks, sixth-grader at Middle School Central; Cherub Clarke, seventh-grader at Middle School North; Corrine Bowman, eighth-grader at Middle School North; and Groveport Madison High School students Audrey Brown, freshman; Retha Simone, sophomore; and Cassie Snyder, junior.

The Aug. 22 groundbreaking is scheduled for 10 a.m.