The new Tates Creek High School is the only Fayette Public Schools’ project currently under construction. The building, which is projected to cost $88 million, is on the same Centre Parkway site as the high school it’s replacing.
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Increased costs just caused a divided Fayette school board to postpone a new middle school, but district officials have a plan for several other construction projects they want scheduled by 2024.
There are no specific dates for the projects on the current plan, which was approved by the state board of education in August, but they are a list of priorities that districts officials hope to address in the next four years.
Here are some key construction projects in the planning pipeline for Fayette County Public Schools. Construction and demolition of schools can stay on the district facility plan for extended periods before they come to fruition. School board members have to approve projects before they can move forward.
New Tates Creek High School:
The only project under construction currently is the new Tates Creek High School which will replace the current building.
Estimated costs: $88 million
Size: 357,207 gross square feet.
Status: It is more than 68 percent finished. It is expected to be completed in July 2022.
New Career and Technical center:
The school district purchased the former Herald-Leader building at 100 Midland Avenue for $7.5 million more than a year ago to combine the existing Eastside and Southside career and technical centers.
Estimated costs: just under $48 million
Size: The 162,476-square-feet building is on a 6.73-acre campus.
Status: Fayette County Schools will get a $10 million grant approved by the Kentucky School Facilities Construction Commission Board for the renovation. Construction bids could open up next summer, but there is no estimated start date. District Chief Operating Officer Myron Thompson said the project could be completed in phases.
Without the grant, the district might have had to wait three or four years to start renovations on the building.
SCAPA (4th through 8th grade):
The building at 701 East Main Street where Central Office used to be located in Lexington is proposed for a new School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) for fourth through eighth graders.
Estimated costs: at least $17.5 million
Size: 88,739 square feet
Status: No anticipated date has been announced to move the project forward. It is expected to accommodate 650 students.
New Girl’s STEM School
A new girl’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics School for 900 students in kindergarten through eighth grade is planned.
Estimated costs: $25.8 million.
Size: 106,408 square feet
Status: District officials are trying to find a location and acquire land.
Carter G. Woodson Preparatory Academy
A new for school for 450 boys in grades K-5 is planned.
Estimated costs: $12. 7 million.
Size: 52, 622 square feet
Status: District officials are trying to acquiring land.
New Polo Club Boulevard Elementary
A new elementary school for 750 students on Polo Club Boulevard is planned on 47 acres that district officials bought in 2020 for $13.7 million for both an elementary and middle school.
Estimated costs: $19.6 million
Size: 80,824 square feet
Status: No date has been set for the project
Polo Club Boulevard Middle School
A new middle school was also planned for the Polo Club Boulevard and was set to open in fall 2023 but has been postponed due to increased costs.
Estimated costs: Estimated costs recently rose 49 percent to $70.5 million.
Size: 171,983 square feet
Status: Because of the cost, a postponement was approved Monday, Nov. 15, with a majority vote by board chairman Tyler Murphy and board members Christy Morris and Amy Green. Board members Tom Jones and Stephanie Spires wanted to move forward with the new middle school because most of the existing middle schools are overcrowded.
The project is expected to be rebid.
Henry Clay High School HVAC repairs
District officials plan to work on the HVAC issues at Henry Clay High School,
In August, district spokeswoman Lisa Deffendall said intermittent issues with the air conditioning at Henry Clay High School resulted in some unacceptably warm conditions in certain portions of the building. District maintenance team members identified the cause, ordered parts and made repairs to three of the school’s 26 rooftop units and immediate issues were resolved.
Henry Clay also had problems with uncomfortably warm conditions in classrooms in previous years.
Estimated costs: No specific costs for HVAC repairs are yet estimated.
Status: The repairs have not yet been scheduled, but Thompson recently told school board members he could have information for them soon.
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School renovation
A major renovation is planned that could include 12 new classrooms and other improvements.
Estimated costs: $42.7 million
Size: 271,514 square feet
Status: No start date has been set