The Hall County School Board voted unanimously Monday night to move forward with renovation and expansion plans for Lyman Hall Elementary school.
Phase one of the expansion will include renovating the southern wing of the school and adding a second level. This will provide 20 new classrooms that can host 300 additional students. Current plans also seek to add another common area, support spaces for students and teachers and will expand the existing cafeteria. The expansion looks to add 36,000-square-feet to the existing building.
Executive Director of Facilities and Construction Matt Cox says the current modular structure is due for an upgrade.
“The primary need there was we have a 16-classroom modular building that's been there since the mid-2000s,” Cox said. “I think it's around 2007. That, you know, is aging and not the best situation, we’d like to get those kids into permanent classrooms. So what we're looking at is a 20-classroom addition. And a part of that addition would also be a new learning commons.”
Cox said the new common area will be used as a library and media center. The support spaces will include amenities like restrooms, break rooms and teacher work rooms on both levels of the school.
With the board’s vote to continue with the project, Cox and his team will now look to define the exact details of the expansion. They will bring the budget and building design to the board at a future meeting before beginning construction. If all goes to plan, Cox says construction could begin as early as Spring 2023.
“The approval today was to continue with this design,” Cox said. “So our next steps will be to complete the design process—we will work with our contractor through that process to stay updated on costs. … After that point, if we remain at a cost that the board is comfortable with, then they would approve, at a separate meeting, they would approve construction to move forward.”
During the renovation, additional modular structures will be brought onto school grounds and used temporarily. Cox said keeping the kids on campus throughout the expansion will be less disruptive than the previously proposed solution of sending them to a separate location.
The preliminary budget of the project is $14 million for construction, costing $18 million overall. Officials say the aim is to occupy the new space by January 2025.
