Forest Park to add state-of-art STEM and Ag facility
A new 19,500 square foot addition to Forest Park housing Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing classes as well as expanded woodworking, welding and agricultural classes could go out to bid in January.
The Forest Park Career Technical Center and Science Renovation resolution of intent to proceed was approved at Wednesday’s Southeast School Board meeting. The project is estimated to cost about $4.5 million and plans have been underway for about 10 months.
According to Superintendent Rick Allen, the upgrade is sorely needed at the school which was originally built in 1954 and then added onto in 1976 and 1996.
“The science rooms were built in 1976. And, a lot of the water and gas that they would use for labs don’t work,” he explained. “The ventilation hoods have asbestos backers and don’t operate properly so the student can’t use them.”
With the inability to incorporate hands-on teaching as well as work in newer fields of study in agriculture, Forest Park grads are finding they are behind their peers when they go to college.
Under the project, the existing science rooms would be gutted and all new equipment will be added. Science, agriculture, Project Lead the Way, welding, woodworking and power lab (small engine repair) will all be housed together.
The existing Ag, an unattached metal structure built in 1980, is in need of repairs and updates. It will be demolished allowing the new addition to be constructed in its place providing a connection to the rest of the school facility. That will foster a safer environment by eliminating the need to walk outside to get to the facility.
Additionally, it doesn’t support the new areas ag students are studying. “It’s not corn, cows and combines anymore. It’s advanced animal science, life science and food science,” he said.
The new area and renovation will also bring all the technical studies within proximity of each other “We want our agriculture teacher collaborating with our biology teacher. We want our Project Lead the Way folks who are doing robotics and engineering to be collaborating with our physics teacher and calculus teacher,” he said. “That’s where the curriculum is today, and our (current) facility is limiting us.”
The project will be financed through a 10 or 12 year debt service though municipal bonds. For taxpayers, early estimates have the new structure costing four cents per $100 of assessed value.
Allen noted that the 1996 debt will be paid off in the next eight years which will reduce taxes then. Since the cost is under $10 million, a referendum is not required.
A public hearing is scheduled for the next regular school board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 2 at the Central Office.
If it proceeds, bidding will go out in January with construction to begin in May of 2017. It is expected to house classes in the Fall Semester of 2018.
Jim O’Neal, News Director at WITZ AM/FM contributed to this report.
