Lexington 2 looks to finish school renovations faster

Two Lexington 2 schools will become temporary homes for pupils from other classrooms to help speed completion of a package of major renovations in the district.

After this spring, Davis and Taylor Elementary schools no longer will house students, but they will be converted to other educational uses for two years. That shift will allow upgrades at different facilities to proceed more quickly and not interfere with instruction, school officials said.

The interim step will allow other improvements in the district to be “pretty well finished” by fall 2019, a year earlier than planned, said Lexington 2 operations director Don Icenhower.

The Davis and Taylor schools will be available for their new roles since students at both will move to the new Cayce Elementary, which is opening this fall.

The changes will allow students at Springdale Elementary, Fulmer Middle and Saluda River Academy for the Arts to use the classrooms at Davis and Taylor for varying lengths of time during the next two years, officials said.

Davis and Taylor eventually could become centers for alternate and adult education after all renovations at other schools are finished. “We’re going to have to sit and talk about how they all match up,” Superintendent Bill James said.

It’s too soon to say what the reaction of affected families will be because the plan is just being announced, some school board members said.

The plan was outlined late last week to board members during an update on the progress of improvements authorized through a $225 million referendum in 2014. Board members did not adopt the new plan. But no one objected to it.

All projects are part of a package of renovations and new facilities approved by voters to update schools that largely were built in the 1950s and 1960s. They are among what school officials say are the oldest in the Midlands.

Approval of the referendum cleared the way for improvements at all 16 schools that serve 8,800 students in Cayce, Pine Ridge, South Congaree, Springdale and West Columbia.

It appears $3 million will left over to use on what are called “wish list” additions, Icenhower told the board. Some board members are interested in using a portion of that money to upgrade athletic tracks at Brookland-Cayce and Airport high schools. But no decisions were reached.

“There will be things we’ll be able to address at the end,” Icenhower said of completing the current list of projects.

Other highlights of the update to the board include:

▪  The cost for an unnamed new elementary school in West Columbia has risen to $33.6 million, an increase of about $2 million, Icenhower said. That’s largely because of slight enlargements to the school, which is slated to open in fall 2018, he said.

▪  A site acquired on Henbet Drive in West Columbia for the new elementary school will be held in reserve for future uses. The new site for the new school also is in West Columbia.

▪  Open a new performing arts center at the former Pair Elementary in West Columbia, some board members suggested. Pair is “sounding better and better” among options under consideration, board member Cay Kessler said.

All the improvements promise to make the area more attractive for residential and commercial growth, board member Beth Dickerson said.

This story was originally published January 8, 2017 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Lexington 2 looks to finish school renovations faster."