School upgrades could cost upwards of $224 million
The estimated cost to provide new construction and/or renovations and additions to six targeted Aiken County schools would range from $168 million to $224 million, Aiken School Board members heard Tuesday.
At a special meeting, the board members accepted those schools as those with the greatest facility needs in the county-wide school district.
The schools are Aiken High, North Augusta High, Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary/Middle School, Leavelle McCampbell Middle School, Jackson Middle School and the Aiken County Career and Technology Center.
The higher total cost includes options that, in most instances, involve building new facilities away from the current school sites.
Although the School Board has not formally approved a bond referendum to finance improvements or replacement schools, the trustees are moving in that direction. They agreed Tuesday to conduct open house opportunities at all six school Saturday and approved dates for community input sessions in each attendance areas later this month - see breakout for details.
Board Vice Chair Rosemary English toured all six schools before the Christmas break.
"When we visited Ridge Spring-Monetta, I remember thinking that this school looks like my school when I was high school," she said. "The needs are definitely there. It's amazing that our students are learning despite the conditions at these schools. They love their schools, but they realize things need to be updated."
Deputy Superintendent David Caver outlined the needs at each of the six schools in terms of school capacity and mobile classrooms, roofs, kitchens/cafeterias, plumbing, electrical and HVAC.
For example, Aiken High has 20 mobile classrooms, despite having taking over the adjacent North Aiken Elementary School complex in 1999. The roofing is inadequate in some areas, as is the cafeteria. The plumbing is not adequate and electrical service is only partially acceptable, he said.
Caver and his staff estimate that it would cost $45 million to provide major new construction on site while demolishing much of the main structure and the North Aiken annex. A new school at another location would cost about $75 million.
With Aiken HIgh located on a campus of more than 60 acres, "there is plenty of room to do additions," said Caver. "We can take care of the needs where it is."
The estimated cost for major renovations at North Augusta High also would be $45 million, and the campus has sufficient acreage to do so, Caver said.
However, RS-M Elementary/Middle School would be best served by moving from the Ridge Spring community, he said, to the large RS-M High School campus about six miles away. A new school would cost $35 million.
Caver noted that Leavelle McCampbell could get a new school for about $22 million on land available at no cost next to the new Byrd Elementary School. It would cost $21 million to renovate the school on site. Although the school is historic and looks great from the outside, Caver said, Leavelle McCampbell was built in the 1920s and has many facility needs.
Renovations to Jackson Middle School would run about $12 million, while a new facility would double that cost. The Career Center needs renovations, but also expansion to accommodate current and anticipated growth at a cost of about $9 million.
The option for career and technical education is to build a new facility in Area 4 for $15 million. Students at RS-M High and Wagener-Salley High don't attend the Career Center near Midland Valley High School because of the travel distance.
Board members agreed that they need to acknowledge that other schools have needs too - among them Gloverville Elementary School, a small school that still has several mobile classrooms.
"I'm hopeful," said Caver, "that, if we move with the referendum, we can take care of the other (facility) issues with our five-year plan."
If schools such as Jackson and Leavelle McCampbell have their needs addressed through a referendum, Gloverville would move up in the district's ongoing five-year building plan.
With the community input meetings coming up soon, said Board Chair Dr. Christine Harkins, it's important to open up discussions with the public and give them the opportunity to see what those six projects could accomplish.
"That could sell a referendum to the public," she said, "especially if they have a child who, at some point, will attend one of those schools. But other people also will be aware that the needs exist, regardless of whether they personally have children in the schools. We have to look at the education of the current kids and those yet to come. We have some real safety issues and inferior buildings."
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com or at 644-2391.
Breakout
Open house opportunities will be held Saturday for parents and other residents to learn about the six schools that have been identified by the Aiken County Board of Education has having the greatest facility needs in the school district.
All six schools will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon for tours and discussions of facility issues by the principals and possibly other staff members as needed. The schools are Aiken High School, North Augusta High, Leavelle McCampbell Middle School, Jackson Middle School, Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary/Middle School and the Aiken County Career and Technology Center.
In addition, the School Board has agreed to conduct community input meetings over three weeks to allow residents in each attendance area to discuss facility concerns. The discussions can include other schools in an attendance area, as well as those targeted by the board members. All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The dates are as follows:
* Area 1 at Aiken High - Jan. 14
* Area 2 at North Augusta High SEnD Jan. 19
* Area 3 at Leavelle McCampbell High SEnD Jan. 21
* Area 4 at RS-M Elementary/Middle School SEnD Jan. 25
* Area 5 at Jackson Middle School SEnD Jan. 28