The wing, expected to cost at least $15.4 million to construct, will add 15 classrooms. At the same time, contractors will also renovate the school’s old science classrooms, ripping out the fixtures and furniture to turn them into general-purpose classrooms.
Preliminary designs for the wing were presented for the first time publicly at a School Board meeting last week. The project, designed by RRMM Architects, is one of the district’s biggest construction projects in years.
“When you look at the current conditions of the science classrooms that are there now, they have never been renovated,” said Daniel Bowling, the district’s chief operating officer, at the June 16 meeting. “Think about that for a second — that’s six decades of students going in and out of those classrooms, thousands upon thousands upon thousands of students.”
It’s the biggest renovation in decades at Kecoughtan, which opened its doors in 1963 and is the second-oldest of Hampton’s four high schools. In the decades since, the school has grown. There are over 10 classroom trailers on Kecoughtan’s campus, more than any other school in the district.
Additionally, they’re approaching the end of their 20-25 year lifespan.
“Why would you replace that when you could build a brand-new wing to a high school — 15 classrooms, all sorts of other spaces in there,” Bowling said.
The wing would be completed in January 2023 under a preliminary timeline presented to the board, however, architects warned there may be delays. They plan to submit plans to the city for approval this fall.
The total cost and timeline of the addition remains uncertain, in part because of soaring material costs this year. The scope of the renovation of the existing classrooms is still being worked out, and project leaders didn’t have a cost estimate for that portion yet.
RRMM staff suggested the district plan for a 4-percent increase in construction costs in the next year, which would bring the construction costs to about $16.1 million, in addition to $850,000 in design and other fees. They also suggest the district plan for about $1.9 million in soft costs like equipment and other services.
Renderings presented by RRMM architects showed the new wing would be added onto the school near where a parking lot is on the south side of the school, along Woodland Road. As part of the project, the district plans to reconfigure the visitor parking lot and bus loop.
It’s not just about giving spaces for students to learn, though. District leaders also hope that new facilities like the science wing will help attract top science teachers graduating college who are in high demand.
“We have to be right on the top of our game when these people come out — so we have to have the pay, the benefits there, we have the supports that we have in place,” Bowling said. “But we also have to have the right environment for them.”
©2021 Daily Press. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
