Clark-Pleasant schools is looking at $150 million in renovations to the Whiteland Community High School campus over the next five years.
The total cost of renovations won’t be finalized until designs are presented to the school board early next year. The cost of the renovations would be paid for as debt from other projects comes off the books, so it wouldn’t trigger a property tax hike if approved, said Patrick Spray, superintendent, during a community meeting to discuss the renovations on Monday.
The plans, which are preliminary, involve major updates to the high school campus, including a two-story building between the north annex and main high school building that would house administrative offices, the school’s cafeteria and the media center, according to a presentation from Lancer+Beebe LLC, an Indianapolis-based architectural and design firm that designed the $3 million facelift to the high school’s football and track and field outdoor facility in 2015.
Whiteland Community High School served its purpose when it was built, but now, with more than 2,000 students at the school and the district’s population continuing to grow rapidly, there is demand for newer, expanded facilities, said Misha Bilyayev, project manager at Lancer+Beebe.
“You’ve got a great facility at the high school, but there are issues from the age of things, they need to be replaced,” Bilyayev said. “Things that were fine 10, 20 years ago are too tight for the current student population.”
Along with the new building, which would serve as a central gathering place just west of the football field, officials want to expand the pool — which is just six lanes and too small to host competitions — into a facility just north of the football field, where the tennis courts currently are. A larger natatorium and multi-purpose space would allow the high school to host competitions and community swim time, said Mark Beebe, a partner at the architectural firm.
The tennis courts would move to the northwest corner of campus, near U.S. 31, according to the presentation.
The renovations would also make driving easier. Instead of just one area in front of the high school that accumulates traffic from student, parent and bus drivers during drop-off and pick-up times, there would be separate areas for each group, plans show.
Another major renovation would change the school’s performing arts space. The auditorium is in need of an upgrade, as the current space is too small for the student population, Bilyayev said.
A new auditorium would be coupled with additional space for band and choir practice, and could be constructed on the northeast corner of the high school building, according to the presentation.
As new facilities would go up, current spaces, such as the pool for example, could be converted to additional classrooms for the growing student body, and existing classrooms could be modernized, Beebe said.
The need for new classrooms comes as most haven’t been touched in more than two decades, Spray said.
Next steps include another community meeting at the high school’s LGI room at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, where parents will be able to give any further feedback to school leaders and Lancer+Beebe representatives. Early next year, Lancer+Beebe will present a project proposal to the school board.
Construction could start as early as next fall and would last about four years, Spray said.
