West Life reports that the school is the centerpiece of the district’s $90 million capital improvement program, which also calls for new athletic facilities and construction of a performing arts center.
The district says building a middle/high school will enable the district to replace a middle school constructed in 1930 that no longer meets modern educational needs. The existing high school is more than 50 years old. The new building also will reduce the overall space footprint of the district, which has seen enrollment decline steadily in the last decade.
The school is scheduled to open in 2018.
“We have estimated that the construction process will take about two years but we want to make sure we do it right,” says School Superintendent Mike Zalar. “We don’t want to compromise the quality of the building by trying to move too quickly.
