FCPS Moves Closer to Building New Middle School
A new middle school in southeast Lexington moved one step closer to reality when the Fayette County Board of Education voted unanimously in January to authorize the purchase of roughly 20 acres of land on Squires Road from the Kentucky American Water Company at a cost of $103,000 per acre.
The land on Squires Road is located in a portion of southeast Lexington called the Peninsula because it is surrounded on three sides by a Kentucky American Water reservoir.
Current plans estimate a middle school of 110,521 square feet that will house 900 students and would cost $25.9 million to build. The district is revising those estimates to expand capacity in order to make room for 1,000 students.
“As a growing district we have to be diligent about staying ahead of new housing construction while also ensuring that we are taking care of our existing buildings,” FCPS Superintendent Manny Caulk said.
Over the past decade, FCPS has grown by roughly 500 to 700 students per year. The Richmond Road corridor outside of Man o’ War Boulevard is among the fastest growing parts of town.
The purchase will not be final until after the district completes several due diligence steps and receives final approval from the Kentucky Department of Education.
If all goes well, the district will pay for the land with roughly $2.06 million in facilities funding that can only be used for capital projects, specifically,
Since the community supported a nickel property tax increase in 2007 dedicated solely to facilities, Fayette County has built five new schools and renovated 21 others.
The newest middle school building in the district is Edythe J. Hayes, which opened in August 2004. Since then, major renovations have been completed at four other middle schools: Bryan Station, Jessie Clark, Leestown and Tates Creek.
The district’s 2017 facilities plan calls for two new elementary schools, a new middle school and a building for STEAM Academy.
The district is in the design phase for one of those new elementary schools and recently acquired property to provide a permanent home for STEAM.
The plan also calls for major renovations of 17 facilities, including the expansion of the district’s technical centers, and wholesale renovations at Henry Clay, Lafayette, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Tates Creek high schools and three middle schools.
“The board’s decision will help us keep pace with the ongoing housing construction in northeast Lexington,” Caulk said. “We don’t want to be reactive. Our goal is to stay ahead of the expansion.”