Planned renovations at Sugar Grove Elementary School are shown.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Center Grove schools will pay more than $30 million to expand and renovate parts of both Center Grove High School and Sugar Grove Elementary School.
The school board unanimously approved the project during its meeting Thursday, with no public comment against it.
Though the district will go into $30.4 million in debt for it, Center Grove schools will pay it off over the course of 20 years as other debt comes off the books, meaning the property tax rate will remain at about $1.02 for every $100 of assessed value, according to district documents.
This comes during the same school year the board approved $30.8 million in renovations at the district’s two middle schools, which will add 12 classrooms, two science rooms, two art rooms and an expanded cafeteria to Middle School Central, and a band room, expanded cafeteria and renovated music and orchestra rooms to Middle School North.
Of the newly approved renovations, about two-thirds — $19.8 million — will go toward renovating and adding to the high school. The high school’s renovations will include 25 additional classrooms, a student collaboration space and secondary food court. Outdoor renovations will increase space for bus parking, and add more spots for student and visitor parking. Center Grove will also use some of the money for additional security cameras, according to district documents.
The board has approved about $65 million in Center Grove High School renovations since 2018. In 2018, the board approved a $45 million high school renovation project that included a natatorium with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, which opened last summer, and new classrooms with flexible furniture, new carpeting, walls and LED lights.
The district will take out an estimated $10.6 million in bonds to pay for renovations at Sugar Grove. Those renovations will include additional security cameras and a gym separate from the main classroom area, as well as renovations to south wing classrooms, education support spaces, administrative offices and a larger playground. The new gymnasium will replace the current one with a large group instruction space. The cafeteria will also be larger, district documents show.
The renovations come as Center Grove finds itself in the midst of a population boom. In September 2016, 8,083 students attended Center Grove schools, compared to 9,071 when the school year began. The district expects to surpass 10,000 students within five years, school officials said.
Bids for the project will likely be reviewed in December. Construction on Sugar Grove would likely be complete by fall 2024, and at the high school by spring 2025, district documents show.
