The Worcester County Board of Education unanimously approved several capital improvements projects last week, along with a $142.5 million capital improvement plan (CIP) for FY24.
The CIP is a six-year strategic plan that identifies capital improvement needs across the district, while attaching to each project a timeline and a budget.
The district’s CIP includes planning and designing requests for Buckingham Elementary School and a design funding request to replace the roof at Snow Hill Middle School/Cedar Chapel Special School.
The plan does not include any construction funding requests.
The district in January finished work on a new roof at Pocomoke Middle School and is now in the process of constructing a 24,800 square foot addition at Stephen Decatur Middle School.
According to district officials, work is proceeding on time and on budget for a December completion.
Looking down the road, the district is looking to replace the roof at Worcester Technical High School and Pocomoke Elementary School, along with renovating or replacing Snow Hill Elementary School.
The big project down the road, though, will be either renovating or replacing Buckingham Elementary School.
The school was built in 1978 and serves students from pre-k to fourth grade.
No renovations or additions have been made to the building in the school’s 44 years of existence, and last year, the school operated at 120 percent. This year, the school is using five portable classrooms to accommodate students and classes.
Officials also said additional space is needed for existing and future programs, the cafeteria, media center, and for support needs.
A feasibility study that began in July will be completed in December.
The district expects to spend $75 million on the project, with $58 million coming from local funds and $17 million from the state.
The roof at the Snow Hill Middle School was last replaced in 1994. Just six years earlier, the Cedar Chapel School was added to the middle school, and today, both roofs have exceeded their life expectancy, according to district officials.
The cost to replace the nearly 107,175-square-foot roof is estimated to be $4 million, comprising $2 million from local funds, and nearly $2 million from state funding.
The Pocomoke Elementary School roof is expected to cost $2 million, and the Worcester Technical High School roof is expected to cost $5.5 million.
Like Buckingham Elementary School, Snow Hill Elementary School is being looked at for renovations, additions, or complete replacement. A feasibility study is planned for 2026 to investigate the its current circumstances and site conditions, as well as construction options.
The projected costs for Snow Hill Elementary are expected to exceed $56 million.
The Board of Education unanimously approved the CIP, which will now be submitted to the Maryland Interagency Commission on School Construction, as required annually.
This story appears in the print version of Ocean City Today on Sept. 30, 2022.
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