Five New Southwest Ohio School Facilities to Open in the Next Two Years

Five new Southwest Ohio school facilities to open in the next two years cincinnati.com/story/news/2022/01/06/batavia-finneytown-indian-hill-st-bernard-elmwood-place-sycamore-new-schoolfacilities/8637754002

Several new school buildings went up in the Cincinnati area over the course of the pandemic, including two new Winton Woods campuses, a new Little Miami elementary school and four new school buildings in the Southwest Local School District.

Voters in Southwest Ohio approved two bond issues this November that promise new or updated facilities in the near future. Madeira City School District plans to expand Madeira Elementary School and Milford Exempted Village School District is in the early stages of planning for a new middle school.

While those building project plans are drafted, five other regional school districts are expected to open new buildings in the next year or so.

Batavia Local Schools

Estimated cost: $46 million.

Project: New high school, new middle school and an addition to the existing elementary school.

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Completion date: Elementary school addition to be completed in the summer of 2022 and the new middle school and high school to be completed in the summer of 2023.

Contractors: Monarch Construction.

Batavia Local School District plans to open Bulldog Place, a single campus housing all educational operations of the district, in August 2023.

This is the vision of the school board's master facilities plan, according to the district website.

"With the continued growth of Clermont County, we are excited for the opening of the campus and the ability of the new facilities to serve the needs of our growing District and community," Superintendent Keith Millard said.

Finneytown Local Schools Estimated cost: $22 million.

Project: New K-6 building to replace Brent Elementary School.

Completion date: May 2022.

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Contractors: Skanska and Emersion Design.

The first phase of Finneytown Local School District's building program will be complete this spring when the district officially opens Finneytown Elementary, a $22 million, 90,000 square foot building to serve students in grades K-6. It will open to students, staff and the community next fall, Superintendent Laurie Banks said.

The district and partners Emersion Design/Fanning-Howey and Skanska Construction held a groundbreaking ceremony in April at the site of Brent Elementary. Whitaker Elementary, which historically served students in grades 2-5, will be demolished once the new buildings are open, according to the district's website.

The second phase of the project includes a new secondary campus for grades 7-12 to replace the district's secondary campus, officials said. The construction timeline for this building has yet to be announced. Banks said the district is waiting on funding through Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for this part of the project.

Finneytown's project is partially funded by a bond issue voters passed in 2019, which will generate more than $27 million over the life of the bonds. The state will provide an additional $27 million, according to the district's website.

Indian Hill Exempted Village School District Estimated cost: $77 million

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Project: New middle school building, renovated primary, elementary and high school buildings.

Completion date: July 2023.

Contractor: Skanska.

In May, voters approved a combined 30-year bond issue and five-year operating levy with about 56% of votes for the levy and 44% of votes against it.

The money, which costs the average homeowner in the district about $1,890 per year, is mainly going towards a new middle school that will begin construction in March 2022 and be completed in summer 2023.

Other portions of the building project, potentially including updated areas of the district's high school and primary school, will be completed in 2022, officials said.

Becker said the primary school will be getting a new front entrance, commons area, cafeteria and kitchen. The "sawtooth" area by Indian Hill Elementary School will be renovated, and the high school's auditorium and athletic commons will be updated.

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St. Bernard-Elmwood Place City Schools

Estimated cost: $40 million.

Project: New pre-K to 12 school building.

Completion date: June 2022.

Contractors: Designed by Elevar Design Group Cincinnati, constructed by DAG. The district is going from three buildings to one building this summer, Superintendent Mimi Webb said.

Both of St. Bernard-Elmwood Place's elementary buildings were aging and needed repairs, she said. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission's evaluation of the two buildings said they were not eligible for repair, but that the district was eligible for a new pre-K through 12 building.

Webb said she anticipates some challenges during the transition to one central building, especially for Elmwood elementary schoolers used to walking to school and who will now need to take the bus.

"But it's also a blessing because our children will come together at an early age and then be friends from kindergarten through the end of high school," she said.

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Sycamore Community School District Estimated cost: $127 million.

Project: New junior high school and intermediate school and renovations and additions to the high school and Symmes Elementary.

Completion date: December 2023.

Contractors: SHP Architects, Monarch Construction, Graybach Construction and HGC Construction.

Sycamore is currently undergoing construction of a $127.5 million master facilities plan, which was approved by voters in a 2019 bond issue.

The plan includes the construction of a new junior high school and intermediate school, as well as renovations and additions to the high school and Symmes Elementary. A new transportation facility and high school athletics facility will also go up over the next two years, Superintendent Brad Lovell said.

While the project won't be completed until December 2023, parts of the project will be completed and ready for use this year. Symmes Elementary's renovation and additions are set to be completed this January and the district's intermediate school and new high school athletic complex should be up in the fall.

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