The Marshall County Board of Education is moving forward with plans to renovate facilities at Sharpe Elementary School, Marshall County High School and North Marshall Middle School.
The school board voted unanimously on Thursday to accept design schematics on a new building addition and parking lot redesign at Sharpe, as well as tennis court and track renovations at MCHS and a new track at NMMS.
The Sharpe Elementary expansion project estimated cost was budgeted at more than $2.1 million; the Paducah-based CMS Architects was awarded the contract and presented project plans at Thursday’s meeting. Schematics included plans to redesign lots to separate bus and car traffic, as well as construct new covered walkways. Other components of the project include:
- renovating the existing preschool classroom to include an office suite and secured entry
- constructing a new 5,500 square foot addition to house music and preschool classrooms, resource rooms and a Discovery model room
- renovating the cafeteria to provide additional seating capability
- renovating the existing office to provide space for first aid and family resource rooms
The board approved sending initial project estimates and applications to the Kentucky Department of Education for approval in April. CMS representative Justin Barrett said the next step would be getting KDE approval on schematics and then begin design development. Bidding and construction, he said, would ideally begin in the spring.
“With the design development phase the engineers, the mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers will be involved, and so we’ll get a better idea of … the details,” Barrett said. “But as of right now, that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Sharpe renovations will likely serve as a temporary solution until the district constructs a new school. Marshall County Schools Superintendent Trent Lovett said in a previous interview that long term plans called for the eventual construction of a new facility to house Sharpe and Calvert City Elementary students. Long range plans call for new schools to house Jonathan and South Elementary students in one building and Central and Benton students in another, as well.
Repair work on the NMMS track, MCHS track and tennis court renovations were expected to cost about $991,612. Some $870,090 of that project were expected construction costs; architecture and engineering expenses were anticipated at about $63,516.
Bacon Farmer and Workman (partner firm to Marcum Engineering, which was awarded the contract) project engineer Shannon Hayes presented design schematics on the MCHS and NMMS projects to the board Thursday, as well. Engineers intend to resurface the track at MCHS, install new electrical and run conduit to the end zones and a new concrete curb along the inside of the running track.
“One of the issues that’s there now is that there’s just a lot of eroding off the asphalt (on) that interior edge,” Hayes said. “It needs an edge protection there, some sort of hard surface. So, we’re going to go in and install a curb. It’ll be kind of similar to what South Marshall has without the drainage collection in it. There’s already interior drains inside the football field; they function pretty well, so there’s no need to put any kind of interior drainage inside the actual curb itself.”
Engineers will also correct ponding issues around the track. Tennis courts will require a complete reconstruction. Crews will rip off the asphalt and get down to the rock layer to check for soft spots. Crews will correct any soft spot areas, resurface, replace fencing and netting and work to improve drainage at the courts. Crews will plan for space to add a seventh court to the area if desired, as well.
NMMS track specs include ripping up asphalt and putting down new, as well as the rubber surfacing. Hayes said the project will include a concrete curb trench drain, and adding accessories such as high jump, discus and hammer throw areas. Surfaces will include the same rubber surfacing as the running track. The running track will be six lanes, he said.
In addition to initiating improvements to facilities in use, the school district will begin steps to get rid of those now vacant. Lovett said he’d identified options for the former South Marshall Middle School on Sid Darnall Road. Lovett said the district could choose to donate the school to another governmental taxing agency; place the building up for sealed bids, including a clause that the district reserved the right to accept or deny any of those submitted; auction the building, including the same aforementioned clause; tear the building down; or tear the building down but keep the gymnasium.
Regardless, Lovett said the board could not do anything with the building until it petitioned KDE to declare the facility surplus property and gained approval.
“Those are pretty much our options,” Lovett said. “… But, with that being said, I think it’s time that we move in a direction to do something with the building. We still try to keep it at minimal heat and minimal cool.”
In other business, the board:
- Entered into agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for $290,748 reimbursement for right-of-way and paving expenses incurred contructing the entry way at the new South Marshall Middle School;
- approved a change-order that did away with dumpster screens and work at SMMS that would credit the district back $4,711;
- approved a salary schedule change to accommodate a new public relations position;
- approved final punch list items for the new SMMS, which included about $25,000 left of remaining work; and
- approved a topographical study of the area for the new bus garage planned to go in the former Pepsi building on old Highway 641 donated to the district.
The Marshall County Board of Education meets at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of each month.