Posted: 4:02 p.m.Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Middletown schools constructioncompletion date: 2019

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — 

    Four years from now, the corner of North Breiel Boulevardand Manchester Roadwill look totally different and will be the hub for educational and communityevents, district officials said.

    By 2019, Middletown High Schoolis expected to be renovated and a new 135,000-square-foot middle school,located just south of MHS, should be built.

    The school projects are estimated to cost$96 million and are being co-funded by Middletownresidents who passed a $55 million bond issue and a 0.26-mill permanentimprovement levy last year. But that $55 million bond was reduced to $45million, saving taxpayers $10 million. The rest of the co-funding will comefrom the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission, said Treasurer Randy Bertram.

    George Long, the district’s businessmanager, made a presentation at Monday night’s school board meeting and when heunveiled drawings of the middle and high schools, he warned they were only“preliminary images.”

    Then he added: “Things will change.”

    He said after the exterior plans arefinalized, district leaders will meet with teachers and staff to get theirinput on how the interior should be designed. He expects those plans to befinalized by the end of the school year. Ground could be broken one year fromnow, he said, saying most of the early work will be behind the scenes.

    The middle school and sports arena could beopen by December 2017, and the high school, two years later, Long said. He saidsome of the construction will take place during the school year.

    The high and middle schools will beseparated by 37 feet, but eventually, there will be a connector to make iteasier for students to pass from one school to the other, he said. Long said ifthe schools were connected in the original plans, the district would losesignificant funding from the OSFC because it would be considered one projectinstead of two.

    Middletown High School will featurewhat Long called “learning pods” where students will be instructed by six toeight teachers. The students will remain in their pods for the entire schoolyear, something Long said will create a better learning environment.

    There will be major upgrades to theauditorium and music rooms, the art and STEM programs, he said. There will bean area for visitors to be dropped off in front of the performing arts center,and that area will be used during school hours to drop off those students withdisabilities, he said.

    Most of the renovations will be done to thefront of the high school and will create “a complete new look,” Long told boardmembers.

    When designing the middle school, Longsaid, it was important it not be considered “the stepchild of the high school.”Both of the schools will have similar looks, he said, and there will beplanters, trees, and picnic tables located throughout the campuses.

   With the building of a gymnasium in themiddle school, a 2,300-seat arena, and Paul Walker Gym in the high school,there will be three sports facilities on the campus. Long said that will givethe district the opportunity to host larger sporting events and generaterevenue for the city. There also will be a weight room, wrestling room andtrack located near the arena and space in the buildings to showcase theschool’s athletic and academic accomplishments, Long said.

    Long said none of the sports facilities havebeen named and the district is forming a historical committee to considerpotential rights. Long joked that he wouldn’t touch the naming rights issue“with a 10-foot pole.”