District manager previews new high school construction, geothermal wells and traffic changes

Brian Spoke, the district’s project manager for the new high school, outlined construction staging, traffic routing and mechanical systems for the Bowling Green City Schools’ new high school during the May 20 board meeting.

Spoke said crews will install a geothermal well field on the site as an early work item and will reconfigure parking and drop-off routes so school traffic can continue while construction proceeds. He described contractor parking, a fenced construction area and temporary “Trailer City” for crews at the southern end of the site.

The geothermal system: what was said and what it means Spoke described the well field as a core early project element. He said the wells being drilled are about 300 feet deep and that the finished ground‑source system will provide roughly 400 tons of cooling for the building. In his presentation Spoke said “there’s a 40 wells out there.” Later in the meeting Superintendent Ted Hazleman referred to the well field as 140 wells; the transcript contains both numbers. The board and staff did not present a written correction at the meeting; the number of wells is therefore recorded here as stated by meeting speakers.

Spoke said drilling will begin immediately: crews will install temporary fencing and site gates in June, and contractor trailers and parking will be staged at the south end of the site. He described a phased sequence for converting existing parking into construction staging and then into permanent parking as work proceeds.

Traffic and parent drop-off changes Spoke walked through the planned traffic patterns for when school resumes. High‑school parent drop‑off will generally follow the existing access route into the site but will use a revised circulation pattern that exits onto Fairview Road. Middle‑school drop‑off will remain similar to present patterns but with a shortened loop and a new access road leading to temporary parking. Spoke said the district will keep an opening to allow combined high school/middle school drop‑offs to use a shared access point.

Timeline and scale Spoke said drilling and early site work begin in June 2025. He described a multi‑phase schedule that, as presented, aims for site completion and the building move‑in in mid‑2027; the transcript records the district’s target as June 2027 for moving into the new building and finishing site phases 3 and 4, with follow‑up renovation work to proceed afterward. Spoke also warned that construction will be disruptive in the short term but called the work “worth it” for the long‑term benefit of a new facility. He also said roughly $70,000,000 will be invested in the project during the construction period.

Energy incentives and drilling progress In the superintendent’s remarks later in the meeting, Hazleman said the district expects federal tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act and stated the district anticipates “up to a 40% tax credit for the entire HVAC system.” Hazleman also reported that one drill rig was on site at the time of the meeting, with two more rigs expected, and said drilling was progressing faster than originally estimated: while planners expected one well per rig per day, crews had been completing two wells per rig per day as of the board meeting.

What the board did and next steps This agenda item was a staff presentation; no formal board action on the construction contract, well count or tax‑credit estimate was recorded during the meeting. Board members were invited to ask questions, and staff indicated further updates would be provided as design documents and early construction permits progress.

Ending District staff said they will continue to brief the board monthly as the construction documents phase moves into permitting and early foundation work. Community members with questions about traffic or parking for the coming school year were directed to the district’s project team for specifics on drop‑off routing and temporary access points.