Manchester district trying to expedite facility projects

Manchester Local Schools officials hosted a community meeting April 12 at Manchester High School to provide an update on the district’s upcoming construction projects. Photo courtesy of Manchester Local Schools

NEW FRANKLIN — Manchester Local Schools officials are hoping to speed up the timeline for the upcoming facilities projects to help combat the rising construction costs due to inflation.
During a community meeting April 12, Superintendent Shaun Morgan presented the updated timeline along with renderings of the new high school and floor plans.
“We are looking for ways to provide everything possible but be more economical,” Morgan said.
In November 2019, voters approved a 36-year, 8.28-mill bond issue, which will generate $34 million for the district. Plans call for using the funds to build a new high school, renovate the current high school to become an elementary school, raze Nolley Elementary School and the former Nimisila Intermediate School, and construct athletic facilities.
The district is partnering with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission, which will pay 44 percent of the cost to construct the new high school and the demolition of the Nolley and Nimisila buildings.
Morgan said site clearing has begun for the new high school, which will be constructed just north of the existing high school where the current baseball field is located. He added groundbreaking is expected to occur in late summer or early fall for the new building.
The new two-story high school will feature a cafetorium, gymnasium, offices and music rooms on the first floor, with the majority of the academic classrooms being on the second floor.
Morgan said the plan is for the new high school to open for the 2024-25 school year. He said the original timeline for renovations to begin at the old high school was after the new high school building opened, but with construction costs continuing to rise, the proposed timeline is for the renovations to be completed in the summer of 2024. He said this would allow for the elementary students to be in the renovated old high school for the 2024-25 school year. With the new timeline, renovations at the old high school would take place in the summer of 2023 and 2024.
Morgan said district officials are “cautiously optimistic” about the move to accelerate the timeline. He also said the district plans to begin the stadium project in the spring of 2023. The original timeline had the stadium project beginning after the old high school renovations were complete. He said starting the improvements in the spring of 2023 would disrupt the track season, but the stadium will be playable with a turf field for the fall of 2023.
The baseball field will be moved to Manchester Middle School with the hope of building a new baseball field in the future, he added.
Morgan said another cost-saving move district officials are considering is converting the library and social studies complex in the old high school into concessions, locker rooms and restrooms for the stadium. He added the district is also applying for grants and exploring alternative funding sources to help with the construction costs.
“Get ready to be inconvenienced — building projects always produce some level of inconvenience,” Morgan said. “This community has been so patient, and we ask for your continued patience. We know it will be great for our community when these project are completed.”
For updates on the facilities projects, visit panthercountry.org and click on “construction and facilities updates.”

This rendering shows the front of the new Manchester High School. District officials expect to break ground by early fall. Rendering courtesy of Manchester Local Schools