The School Board has transferred $5.7m to the Patrick Henry School Project, taking the final cost to $48.2m.
The additional funds are needed to counter the rise in inflation and soft costs since project estimates were first projected four years ago. In addition, the School Board voted last year to increase the number of students in the new Patrick Henry School by 100 to 900 students, or five additional classrooms.
The additional funds will be transferred from the James K. Polk Elementary School capacity project, a project that is no longer viable at that site. The funding for five modular classrooms originally intended for Polk will now be used towards similar number of permanent classrooms in the new Patrick Henry School.
The recommendation to use the Polk modular project funds as a source of additional funding was made at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. There were growing concerns from the Polk school administration and parent community that Polk had already gone through a major modular addition project that significantly impacts accommodating student access and scheduling in core spaces, such as the cafeteria, gym and library. The modular project would have increased enrollment at Polk by an additional 100 students and exacerbated some of the current programmatic challenges.
“Given the recent addition at Polk, adding more students would continue to strain our resources and common spaces, like the lunch room. Without a full modernization at Polk, another addition would be tough on our staff and students,” said James K. Polk Principal Pree Ann Johnson.
The new Patrick Henry School will be built under a guaranteed maximum price. That fixed amount will be brought back to the School Board and made public in the near future. It could be less than the maximum amount of $48.2m.
The project also includes a new recreation center, which is being funded by the City.
“This project is being value engineered to make sure we get the best price for the project. We will continue to go through this as we develop the project,” said Chief Operating Officer Clarence Stukes.
Aspects of the Patrick Henry Project have already been adjusted as part of the value engineering process – a process that looks for economies that can be made without affecting the overall project. These include lighting, the roof, window styles, plumbing materials, masonry and materials to use for the frontage.
“We are looking at ways at being efficient with the amount of money available. It is a balancing act. We have to make sure the value engineering makes sense with the project and make sure we plan for any changes we are making now,” said Bill Brown of Moseley Architects, the architects for both the school and recreation parts of the Patrick Henry Project.