The proposed new Bowling Green High School campus would be a centerpiece for the community.
Members of DLR Group presented an arial view and floor plans for the new school, funding for which will be decided in November.
“I’m excited,” said school board President Ryan Myers about seeing a visual of what the space could look like and how it will be used.
“It’s the first time it’s really starting to feel what could be for our students, for our staff and for the community,” he said.
A full master facilities plan will be presented Sept. 19 and will include a video flyover of what the school could look like.
“I think people are going to be blown away when they see the arial shot,” Myers said.
The existing high school will stay, minus the north wings, and be converted into a Bowling Green City Schools Activity Center. The space will not be used for academics.
The center will be an incredible resource for the community, which include practice space for community bands and the potential for a community resource center, Myers said.
Both gyms will also remain. The new Penta spaces shown on the floor plan are for existing programs including vo-ag, DECA and FFA, he explained.
The cost of demolishing the current high school’s existing academic wing is $1.238 million; converting the remaining structure into an activity center, $4.981 million; adding an entrance to the activity center (where the academic wing used to connect), $824,739; constructing the new high school, $62.319 million; and a 5% continency, $3.436 million.
Voters will be asked Nov. 7 to support a 5.5-mill bond issue to pay for the $72.8 million project.
“We ran the capacity analysis to make sure we were right-sizing the building for you, so it wasn’t too big and that it definitely wasn’t too small,” said Christie Boron, a K-12 educational planner with Emersion DESIGN, which worked with DLR on the design.
Discussions with the district’s core facilities group showed commonalities including a big push for flexibility in spaces, safety and technology, said Troy Glover, K-12 education planner with DLR.
According to the presentation, building and site considerations include geothermal heating a cooling, renewal energy (solar panel ready), indoor air quality and lighting.
“All of that translates into operational savings,” Boron said. “We are always making sure we are looking to opportunities to not only protect our kids but to protect the planet.”
The 1,750-seat gymnasium will be at the north side of the site, near the athletic fields, some of which will be moved to allow for parking; the gym will have a walking track on the second floor; the music and performing arts spaces will be near the Performing Arts Center; a media/business/STEM hub will be accessible from two floors; the cafeteria will have a three-story space; there will be a courtyard space for use by science classes and Penta; and private zones will have the capability to be locked when the public is in the building.
A bike path will connect with the city’s path to the Community Center.
There will be a learning courtyard and space for outdoor dining and science classrooms will be on the top floor of the three-story academic wing to allow access to rooftop green space.
DLR looked at other designs in the city, including the Stroh Center, Mauer Center and Wolfe Center on the campus of Bowling Green State University.
“The high school wants to be something special,” said Dusty Lake, a design lead with DLR.
Superintendent Ted Haselman said he was impressed with how the designs make sure there is space available for the academics and future learning of students.
“The design is eye-catching and it will be a point of pride for the community,” he said.
“It was an example of the thoughtfulness that the DLR Group put into the potential new high school,” he said.
Gary Keller, who served as principal at Kenwood Elementary and the middle school, said improvements are needed to the high school.
He said he appreciated the flexibility of the classroom design.
Teri Anderson is a 1975 BGHS graduate and said she was absolutely in favor of a new school.
“When you see this and how exciting it could be to go to this place to learn,” she said. “It’s time.”
