by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

On Feb. 15, project construction manager Gary Clardy led a group of school board members, administrators, and teachers on a tour of the under-construction new South Middle School. In January 2019, after three years of contentious debate, the Franklin County Commission voted to allocate $48 million for the construction of two new middle schools at the sites of the two current schools.

“These will be schools our community can be proud of,” said board member Sarah Marhevsky. “We’re doing right by our kids.”

The gyms at the existing schools have been retained and renovated. The gyms have new membrane roofs, new flooring, digital scoreboards, coaches’ offices, air conditioning and locker rooms with showers for both the home team and visiting teams. Previously, visiting teams had no place to change and the lack of air conditioning made visiting schools dread sports events at the middle schools.

The spacious auditoriums seat 440 with features including a projection room and dropdown screen on the stage.

“The new construction at both schools is the same,” stressed Director of Schools Stanley Bean. At North Middle School, which has more students, the existing eighth-grade wing will be retained. The new schools have energy saving LED lighting throughout.

Designed to maximize security, the new classroom wing offers full visibility from the single access point. Soon to be installed lockers will fill the recessed niches in the hallway.

“I’m obsessed with the light,” said North Principal Holly Eslick commenting on the abundance of windows enhancing the spacious ambiance of the large classrooms. Each classroom will have its own thermostat to allow for customized heating and cooling.

The extra-large science classroom will accommodate student desks and lab setup within the same classroom space and allow two or more classes to inhabit the room to hear guest speakers. The STEM classroom has a double-wide door leading to the outside so equipment can be brought in. Long tables will enable seated students to view demonstrations and pursue their own projects in the same workspace.

The art room includes a kiln for firing pottery. The vast choir room and huge band room feature noise reducing ceilings to control disruptive reverberation and background racket that make it difficult for musicians to hear what they’re singing or playing. Adjacent practice rooms provide a place for individual musicians and small groups to rehearse.

During free time, students can congregate in the secure interior courtyard. A small concrete stage will provide a setting for bands and speakers.

“These state-of-the art facilities will open up opportunities for students and offer an incentive for people considering moving to Franklin County to want to be part of the school system,” said board member Caycee Roberts. “People will be excited to be here.”

The main office is located just inside the front entrance. An array of adjacent offices will house staff attending to administrative and guidance needs.

Eslick said she was particularly pleased with the CDC [Comprehensive Development Classroom] facilities. “Our CDC students have a variety of different needs,” Eslick observed. “We’ll be able to meet those needs now.”

Commenting on construction delays, Clardy said, “We’ve really fought with the weather and rain.” On any given day, six days a week, 40-50 construction workers are on task at each site. The South site required patching and filling three sink holes, with one more sinkhole yet “to deal with,” according to Clardy. Demolition of the old schools will begin in June. Clardy is confident the new schools will open on schedule Aug. 6.