Olentangy Local Schools’ 4th high school plans shown

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Plans for the Olentangy School District’s fourth high school and a groundbreaking date were presented at a school board meeting Thursday.

Architect Bruce Runyon of Fanning Howey said the fourth high school would be similar in appearance to Olentangy Orange High School.

“The exterior looks a lot like what you currently have, because that’s what you like,” Runyon said.

The two-story high school will include classrooms of varying sizes; updated security features; a modern media center, band room, science labs; the latest in energy efficiency; and a wireless port in every classroom.

“This building will have Wi-Fi on steroids,” Runyon said.

The football stadium will be similar to the other high schools, Runyon said. The site includes four ball diamonds and four practice fields. There will also be 881 parking spaces, which can be expanded to 1,000 spaces for special events.

The high school will be located on Berlin Station Road near Gregory Road and the railroad tracks, north of Olentangy Cheshire Elementary. Piatt Road, which currently ends at Cheshire Road, will be extended to Berlin Station, Runyon said.

The district has owned the land since 2003, and the site is very flat, Runyon said.

Superintendent Mark Raiff said a groundbreaking ceremony for the new high school is scheduled on June 9.

Next year, the principal and other major positions will be hired, with the teachers being hired in 2018.

Raiff said a redistricting plan will be chosen by next spring.

The high school is expected to be open for the 2018-19 school year.

The board of education is responsible for naming the high school and its mascot, Raiff said. Community input will also be taken into account.

“School buildings will have names based on local history or geography with no directional names (north, south, east, west),” reads the district policy. “Mascot names are based on local historical figures or animals with no proper names or directional names.”

The board unanimously approved two resolutions concerning the new high school at its meeting Thursday. One was a bond resolution of $79.56 million that not only pays for the construction of and furnishing the new high school, but also repairs to existing buildings, replacing equipment, purchasing school buses and textbooks, and purchasing the Olentangy Academy building. Treasurer Brian Kern said he will go to New York next month to try to improve the district’s bond rating prior to the bonds going on sale in June.

The other resolution was to approve contracts with Fanning Howey Associates Inc. and Construction Analysis LLC.

This site map shows how Olentangy’s fourth high school will look.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2016/04/web1_thumbnail_Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-7.46.20-PM.jpgThis site map shows how Olentangy’s fourth high school will look.

Courtesy images | Olentangy Local Schools

These drawings show the front exterior of Olentangy’s fourth high school.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2016/04/web1_thumbnail_Screen-Shot-2016-04-14-at-7.47.36-PM.jpgThese drawings show the front exterior of Olentangy’s fourth high school.

Courtesy images | Olentangy Local Schools

School district to build fourth high school

By Gary Budzak

[email protected]

Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0904 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.

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