Posted: 5:00 p.m.Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014

Middletown High School may include cityconvention center

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

    Middletown school officials and teachers have touredthree area high schools — Hamilton, Princeton and Huber Heights Wayne — looking for potentialdesign ideas for the district’s new middle school and renovated high school.

    Thedistrict also is seeking input from the community and students to see what theyexpect and want out of the district’s buildings that will be funded through the$95-million bond that passed in May by 22 votes, according to final resultsfrom the Butlerand Warren county boards of elections.

Ofthe $95 million, $40 million was supposed to come from the Ohio SchoolFacilities Commission, but recently it was announced the OSFC approved $51.4million for the Middletowndistrict.

    Itis expected that on Thursday, $45 million of unlimited tax general obligationschool improvement bonds will be sold by RBC Capital Markets as underwrittenfor the district. Superintendent Sam Ison said the district received an A minusrating, which he called “not bad.”

    Eventually,a new middle school will be built somewhere on the high school campus on Breiel Boulevard,across the street from Miami University Middletown, and MHS will be renovatedand expanded. George Long, the district’s business manager, told a small groupthat recently attended a community meeting, that he envisions building onto thefront portion of the high school.

“Wewant to change the feeling of the building,” he said. “A new look … a veryrejuvenated look.”

    Middletown high and middleschools also may be “joined buildings,” Ison said. This concept would allowstaff and students to move more smoothly between the buildings. Long said ifthe district combined the high school and middle school together, it would losean unknown amount of state funding. But by keeping them separate, the districtcan get the “best of both worlds,” he said.

    There also has been some discussions on howto incorporate a convention center into the high school. Middletown has no sites that can host morethan 300 people. Business leaders have said they’d like to keep the largerevents in the city, and they think those could be held at the high schoolduring the summer.

    Thesite will have three gyms: the Paul Walker Gym at the high school; the one inthe middle school; and an arena with an undisclosed seating capacity.

    Districtofficials also talked about constructing a central heating and air conditioningunit that would serve both buildings; the possibility of adding flexibilityinto the learning spaces; installing improved security measures; and making thebuildings more accessible for the community to use on nights and weekends.

    Notimetable has been set on construction of the middle school and renovations tothe high school.

    Longsaid the district hopes to make presentations to the community through theChamber of Commerce, Middletown Community Foundation and service organizations.

 Hmmm...I thought the 10 million dollar restoration of the Manchester Inn that is going to be completed in 2016 was going to serve as the convention center for Middletown...