Hernando County officials update on Winding Waters, Eastside school additions; mid‑2026 targets

Hernando County School officials told city and county leaders at a joint public workshop that two phase‑1 school additions are under construction and are on track for mid‑2026 completion, district presenter Brian Reagan said.

The projects include a 30‑classroom addition at Winding Waters K‑8 designed to be shared with Weeki Wachee High School and a 20‑classroom addition and new cafeteria at Eastside Elementary that will be built to hurricane‑shelter standards, Reagan said. Both projects are part of a phase‑1 expansion the district approved previously; phase‑2 work is currently on hold.

The Winding Waters addition consists of 30 classrooms (13 on the ground floor for the K‑8 middle school and 17 on the second floor for the high school), about 43,600 square feet of space excluding covered walkways, and is estimated to add roughly 660 to 750 student stations depending on classification, Reagan said. The district selected a precast concrete shell for the building because panels could be erected over the summer without closing a nearby bus loop; Reagan said the guaranteed maximum price (GMP), including furnishings and turnkey work, is approximately $21,000,021.60 and that substantial completion is set for May 31, 2026. Reagan said the ground floor will include a dining room but no kitchen; meals will be brought from the adjacent high school cafeteria.

At Eastside Elementary the district is building a two‑story classroom building with 10 classrooms per floor and a separate new cafeteria that meets hurricane shelter requirements. Reagan said the classroom space is about 26,800 square feet and the cafeteria about 13,500 square feet; the project adds about 440 student stations. The GMP for the Eastside classroom and cafeteria project, including furniture and kitchen equipment, is approximately $27,000,000; Reagan said about $1,400,000 of that sum is attributable to the hurricane‑rated cafeteria. He gave target completion dates of June 1, 2026, for the cafeteria and July 1, 2026, for the classroom building.

Reagan also described follow‑on work at Eastside to reuse the existing cafeteria and adjust office space: the district plans to move offices into the old cafeteria, convert existing offices into four primary classrooms and an exceptional student education (ESE) suite (adding about 72 student stations), and replace roofing and HVAC systems. He said the GMP the district had received for that remodel was “like 5.6” (Reagan later said the district would try to negotiate that figure), with an expected start in June 2026 and a projected completion in 2027.

Commissioner John Allocco asked whether the precast concrete shell cost significantly more than other construction types. Reagan responded, “The precast was a little bit more. When I say a little bit, $200,000,” and added that the method reduced on‑site time, avoided closing the bus loop and lowered general conditions and overhead costs for the construction manager.

Reagan said the district originally presented phase‑2 expansions—additional classrooms at Central High, Weeki Wachee and Winding Waters—but the board put those on hold because of enrollment changes. He invited questions at the end of the presentation.

Because the meeting was a workshop required by the Sunshine Law, no formal actions or votes were taken on the projects during the session, attorneys noted in the opening remarks.