Hernando County moves ahead with two large school additions; construction, traffic fixes and bus rules discussed

The Hernando County School District on Tuesday reported construction is under way for two major campus additions meant to ease enrollment pressure and add hurricane shelter capacity.

District staff said the Winding Waters K–8/Weeki Wachee High flex building will add 30 classrooms (13 ground-floor rooms for middle grades, 17 second-floor rooms intended for high school use), about 43,600 square feet of space and roughly 660–750 student stations depending on grade assignment. The project was built as a precast concrete shell to shorten on-site work and avoid closing a bus loop; the district reported a guaranteed maximum price of $21,000,021.60 and a substantial completion date of May 31, 2026.

The Eastside Elementary project will add a two‑story classroom building (10 classrooms per floor), a new hardened cafeteria designed as a hurricane shelter, new bus stacking, additional parking and drainage improvements. District staff said the classroom building is roughly 26,800 square feet and the cafeteria 13,500 square feet; the combined guaranteed maximum price including furnishings and kitchen equipment is approximately…