Bowling Green board hears new high school construction update; traffic changes, band tower relocation announced

Bowling Green City Schools Superintendent Ted Hazeland told the board on Aug. 14 that construction on the new Bowling Green High School is progressing "as planned and remains on budget," and that the district has implemented temporary traffic changes around the current middle- and high-school campus to accommodate construction and maintain student safety. Hazeland said the construction project requires new designated student drop-off and pick-up routes and some rerouting of parking. "A stoplight has been installed at the exit onto Fairview Avenue," he said, and he added that the city has designated that the Fairview exit will be left-turn only from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. during drop-off and pickup. Hazeland said a police officer will assist with directing traffic at that location while school starts. The superintendent urged families to consult posted maps and district communications: the new routes and directional pavement markings are on the district website and shared through district channels. He emphasized that the changes are temporary during construction and asked for "flexibility, understanding, and cooperation" over the next two years while construction continues. Hazeland also told the board that the district preserved the high school’s band tower. He described the recent relocation as a crane-assisted move and said the structure will be reinstalled east of the stadium. "Keeping my word is important and I wanna say thank you to Brian Swope and his team at Rudolph Living," Hazeland said, thanking contractors involved in the move. The board was invited to a construction update presentation on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. in the PACK, where architects from DLR Group will present plans and progress to the public and staff. No formal action was taken at the meeting on construction matters; Hazeland said further updates will come at future meetings.