By MIKE JAMES — The Independent
SUMMIT — School officials were to get their first look at schematic drawings for a new Boyd County High School Monday night.
The drawings, which show the proposed layout for the 144,000 square-foot structure, will be used by architects to draw up final plans for the school, to be built on a hilltop site across Ky. 180 from the existing high school.
The drawings, which should be available soon for public viewing, show a 1,000-student school designed around a new curriculum.
Boyd County is re-designing its high school curriculum around academies, subject area clusters such as STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — according to principal Rhonda Salisbury.
Other clusters will include business, information and marketing; communications, arts and humanities; social, entertainment and public services; and freshman academy.
Architects and engineers have worked with Salisbury and her staff to design the school around their needs for the new curriculum.
The result will be classrooms and other facilities placed in a way that integrates subjects for each of the academic areas, Salisbury said.
The heart of the school will be the library, Superintendent Howard K. Osborne said. In fact, the library literally will be at the center of the school.
The drawings are analogous to a rough sketch of the final plans. They include overall footprint, square footage, number of rooms and administrative areas, maintenance director Tim Black said. There is some room for tweaking, but designers already have made most necessary refinements based on staff recommendations.
Board approval of the drawings brings the district a step closer to its plan to start construction by the end of the year, Black said. The drawings next have to be approved by the Kentucky Department of Education. Then architects may begin drawing up detailed plans.
The district hopes to be ready to solicit bids from contractors by late fall, Black said. If that happens, builders could start working by the end of the year.
The estimated price tag for the school is $31 million.
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.
