District outlines campus master plan: new elementary, athletic relocations, renovated tech hub and ongoing site review for transportation and fire substation

Superintendent Sawyers presented a status update on March 17 for the New Albany-Plain Local Schools’ campus master plan, focusing on phase‑1 projects the district plans to deliver in the coming years.

The new elementary school: The district said the building is in design development and currently projected to open in the 2027–28 school year. Architects are preparing a bid package for the construction manager-at-risk; staff said the district expects that package to be complete by mid-to-late April so the manager can provide pricing. The conceptual site plan shows a kindergarten wing built to allow a future second floor and a bus lane and service drive to the rear, and staff said traffic engineers were scheduled to meet with the district the day after the presentation to discuss signal and intersection changes.

Athletics: The district described two competing approaches for relocating varsity and junior varsity baseball and softball fields. An initial plan relied on a 15-acre donation near Gantz Park but required 9–12 months of wetland mitigation and substantial site work. Because of that timeline and cost, the district shifted attention to Bevelheimer Park as an alternate site; architects produced clover‑shaped layouts that would place two baseball and two softball fields in a northern corridor, with centralized restrooms, concessions and press box. District staff said the fields now appear unlikely to be playable before the 2027 season and that temporary arrangements for spring 2026 are under active but not-yet-finalized development.

Transportation facility and fire substation: The administration reiterated the land under consideration was offered by The New Albany Company. Site options have changed several times in response to utility easements (two high-pressure gas lines run through the property), tree lines, stream corridors and efforts to limit environmental impacts. The most recent concept reduced planned bus parking by 21 spaces to 69 and increased fire-station parking to 16, reflecting an effort to stay south of the tree line and away from regulated stream corridors. The district noted it currently operates 45 buses with 34 active on the road and that shared-build and joint-use arrangements with Plain Township were part of the analysis. If the site moves forward it would require a zoning reclassification (discussed as Community Facilities District) and additional city approvals; no rezoning or building approval occurred at the March 17 meeting.

Tech hub and stadium: The H building at the high school (the rotunda building) will be reconfigured to install a new second floor across the rotunda and to add maker spaces, labs and career-pathway rooms; the district estimated about nine months for construction once work begins. The district also plans to refurbish the middle‑school stadium into a regulation high‑school facility with turf, a six-lane track, lights and permanent restrooms, but said baseball/softball relocation is the higher construction priority and would come first.

Process and next steps: District staff said it continues to meet with the city, Plain Township, The New Albany Company and consultants to evaluate site feasibility, traffic and costs and that some design elements will go to the New Albany Architectural Review Board (ARB). No final site selection or construction authorization was made at the March 17 meeting; staff said more information and revised site concepts would be available in roughly two weeks.

Ending: The board received the update and asked staff to continue coordination with municipal partners and to return with refined site plans, cost estimates and timelines for required approvals.