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School building projects ongoing
Adam Bernal / San Pedro Valley News-Sun
The Benson School District has several new construction projects that will take place around different areas of the Benson campus, and they plan to break ground near the end of the year.
During a presentation at last Thursday's school board meeting, Benson Schools Superintendent David Woodall revealed details on four planned construction projects that will be taking place around the school over the coming years.
Woodall said the district and the architectural firm, Emc2, have planned to build a multipurpose facility near the middle school, a new fieldhouse near the football field that would provide additional athletic facilities, a new concession stand and an expanded gymnasium lobby that would be built near the current concession stand area in the high school gymnasium.
Last November, taxpayers in the Benson School District approved a bond and budget override that helped provide the school with $9.3 million in funding for construction costs. Woodall explained the bonds are planned to be sold and split into two phases; the first phase would cost approximately $6 million and would fund the construction of the new facilities on campus. The second phase would cost approximately $3 million and fund construction of new classrooms.
The multipurpose facility is planned near the middle school parking lot and high school office area on Patagonia Street. Woodall said the facility would seat around 400 people, almost double what the current high school auditorium seats, and would have several uses, such as a cafeteria and an auditorium.
Woodall said the school is continuing to evaluate future uses for the current cafeteria after the multipurpose room is built. Plans being considered include culinary or technology-based facilities, he said.
The fieldhouse is projected to be built on the visitor's side of the football field, near the northeast corner of the field. Woodall said the fieldhouse would be intended for teams that use the field and will have two large locker areas with 60 lockers, bathrooms and additional storage areas.
The new concession stand is planned for the northwest corner of the football field and would also have bathrooms. Other planned improvements to the football field area include replacing the bleachers and press box, which are both currently in bad shape, Woodall said.
The expanded gymnasium lobby would be an addition to the gymnasium entrance on the west side of the building. Woodall said the area in front of the concession stand would have its own bathroom facilities and would continue to provide easy access to the new and old gymnasiums.
In addition to the new construction projects, Woodall said plans include building a new road on the west side of the football field that would run from Union Street south to Sixth Street. He said the road would also open up the field to the public and help encourage the community to use the facility in the future.
Woodall said the district is hoping to start the first phase and break ground on the new construction this December. He felt it was too early to predict how long the construction would take and said it would be determined as the construction continued to develop.
Woodall said he hoped the new facilities would be something the public could be proud of and help them feel more comfortable about approving the bond and override last November.
In other news, the board officially approved the adoption of the 2008-2009 district budget. The total budget revenue for 2009 will be $5,951,053 compared to the 2008 total budget revenue of $5,846,325. Woodall said the budget is expected to change throughout the year and will receive modifications as needed.
The board also approved the hiring of Shawn McCartha as maintenance director, Victor Reece as seventh-grade math teacher and Robin Morales as the K-4 music teacher.
The Benson School District has several new construction projects that will take place around different areas of the Benson campus, and they plan to break ground near the end of the year.
During a presentation at last Thursday's school board meeting, Benson Schools Superintendent David Woodall revealed details on four planned construction projects that will be taking place around the school over the coming years.
Woodall said the district and the architectural firm, Emc2, have planned to build a multipurpose facility near the middle school, a new fieldhouse near the football field that would provide additional athletic facilities, a new concession stand and an expanded gymnasium lobby that would be built near the current concession stand area in the high school gymnasium.
Last November, taxpayers in the Benson School District approved a bond and budget override that helped provide the school with $9.3 million in funding for construction costs. Woodall explained the bonds are planned to be sold and split into two phases; the first phase would cost approximately $6 million and would fund the construction of the new facilities on campus. The second phase would cost approximately $3 million and fund construction of new classrooms.
The multipurpose facility is planned near the middle school parking lot and high school office area on Patagonia Street. Woodall said the facility would seat around 400 people, almost double what the current high school auditorium seats, and would have several uses, such as a cafeteria and an auditorium.
Woodall said the school is continuing to evaluate future uses for the current cafeteria after the multipurpose room is built. Plans being considered include culinary or technology-based facilities, he said.
The fieldhouse is projected to be built on the visitor's side of the football field, near the northeast corner of the field. Woodall said the fieldhouse would be intended for teams that use the field and will have two large locker areas with 60 lockers, bathrooms and additional storage areas.
The new concession stand is planned for the northwest corner of the football field and would also have bathrooms. Other planned improvements to the football field area include replacing the bleachers and press box, which are both currently in bad shape, Woodall said.
The expanded gymnasium lobby would be an addition to the gymnasium entrance on the west side of the building. Woodall said the area in front of the concession stand would have its own bathroom facilities and would continue to provide easy access to the new and old gymnasiums.
In addition to the new construction projects, Woodall said plans include building a new road on the west side of the football field that would run from Union Street south to Sixth Street. He said the road would also open up the field to the public and help encourage the community to use the facility in the future.
Woodall said the district is hoping to start the first phase and break ground on the new construction this December. He felt it was too early to predict how long the construction would take and said it would be determined as the construction continued to develop.
Woodall said he hoped the new facilities would be something the public could be proud of and help them feel more comfortable about approving the bond and override last November.
In other news, the board officially approved the adoption of the 2008-2009 district budget. The total budget revenue for 2009 will be $5,951,053 compared to the 2008 total budget revenue of $5,846,325. Woodall said the budget is expected to change throughout the year and will receive modifications as needed.
The board also approved the hiring of Shawn McCartha as maintenance director, Victor Reece as seventh-grade math teacher and Robin Morales as the K-4 music teacher.
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