By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
This is a preliminary plan for the new Groveport Madison High School.
The new Groveport Madison High School construction project is on schedule and on budget, according to Chris Dumford, VSWC Architects vice president.
“The idea is to build the best building to serve both now and generations to come,” Dumford told the Groveport Madison Board of Education at its April 8 meeting.
Dumford said preliminary plans call for the new high school to be a two story structure. He said a two story structure is preferred because a one story building would be “too sprawling” and a three or four story building would make it more difficult to handle emergencies and to supervise.
“Two stories is reasonably compact and efficient,” said Dumford.
The preliminary plans also call for the high school administrative office to be centrally located near the main entry of the building.
According to Dumford, the proposed 247,879 square foot new high school will include more than 50 academic classrooms, more than a dozen science and technical labs, many small group rooms and areas, a variety of special education spaces, a large multi-purpose lecture room, three art rooms plus a kiln room, large band and choral rooms with practice space, a main gymnasium and an auxiliary gymnasium and an auditorium with stage, scene shop and dressing rooms.
Dumford said said a schematic design of the building could be ready by June and a presentation of the plan could be made to the Groveport Madison Board of Education by July. A public meeting for the community about the project would be held this summer.
According to Dumford, new high school’s design will feature an environmentally green design with high efficiency heating, air conditioning, and lighting systems; water conserving plumbing; increased indoor air quality; and use recycled and regionally obtained materials.
Plans are to build the new high school in and near the parking lot of the existing high school, located at 4475 S. Hamilton Road. Once the new school is built, the existing high school will be demolished.
The $62.9 million high school will be paid for by Ohio Schools Facilities Commission funding of $29.6 million and a local taxpayer share of $33.3 million.
Groveport Madison Public Relations Officer Mary Guiher said the district hopes to have a formal groundbreaking ceremony for the high school in August.
Groveport Madison Superintendent Bruce Hoover has indicated it’s possible full construction of the new high school could begin by March 2016. Officials hope to open the new high school by the fall of 2018.
