Board hears detailed update on campus master plan, site options and infrastructure constraints

Superintendent Michael Sawyers told the New Albany-Plain Local Board of Education on Feb. 24 that the district is advancing Phase 1 of a campus master plan that includes a new kindergarten-through-second-grade school, upgrades to athletic fields, a high school tech hub, and a combined transportation facility and Plain Township fire substation.

The update covered programmatic layouts, site options and regulatory hurdles. Sawyers said the district is weighing three field-locations: a 15-acre parcel donated by the New Albany Company (NACO), Bevelheimer Park owned by the city and parks district property adjacent to a proposed field house. "We do know based upon the property the city owns, it is possible to put at least 2 softball fields and 2 baseball fields," Sawyers said.

Why it matters: the facilities are tied to a multi-year build plan and to bond funding the district is pursuing. Site choice will affect schedule, required environmental reviews and cost.

Key details from the presentation

- Phase 1 components: new K'0 school (all-day kindergarten and grades 1'2), Wood Boulevard improvements, baseball and softball fields, high school tech hub (renovation of Building H), a middle-school stadium and a combined transportation facility/fire substation in partnership with Plain Township.

- Site options for athletic fields: (1) a 15-acre parcel donated by NACO, currently showing EPA-related constraints that could require 9—2 months of work; (2) Bevelheimer Park and the city-owned parcel adjacent to a proposed parks field house (the parks and recreation district's field house); and (3) another city-owned site across the street from the original Bevelheimer fields. The administration said it is comparing timeline and cost trade-offs for each.

- Environmental and jurisdictional issues: Sawyers said the 15-acre option has "EPA requirements that we're still navigating through," represented in plans as a buffer line; the district has filed for stream consideration with Rocky Fork Blackwood Accord and has met with city and planning commissions as part of jurisdictional reviews.

- Transportation facility/fire substation: the administration described a proposed arrangement at 7270 New Albany Conduit Road consisting of a 9,350-square-foot transportation building and an 8,450-square-foot fire substation, both with mezzanines. The parcel is about 13 acres but contains a significant TransCanada gas pipeline easement that limits parking, paving and building placement; the architects report no parking within 10 feet of the easement and restrictions on parallel travel lanes across the easement.

- Site layout and capacity: presentation graphics showed an initial layout with roughly 100 transportation staff parking spaces (including 90 bus spaces and 20 van spaces), fueling station location, a retention pond and landscape buffers along New Albany Road East and New Albany Conduit Road. The administration said the tree buffer on the north will remain.

- Zoning and approvals: city staff told the architects the district will need to apply to change zoning to a Community Facilities District from the current infill planned unit development before construction can proceed on the transportation/fire site.

- Timeline and next steps: Sawyers said the district is continuing schematic design and cost estimating, convening design charrettes with teachers and program staff, coordinating civil engineering work and meeting with the city, the New Albany Company and Plain Township. He said the district will confirm electrical and final installation estimates for donated items (for example, a previously discussed tennis scoreboard donation) only after donors confirm terms consistent with a board resolution adopted in March 2024.

Quotes from the meeting

"There are EPA requirements that we're still navigating through," Sawyers said when describing constraints on the donated 15-acre parcel. "We have conversations about roadway access with Miller Road extension and other aspirations that both the city and the New Albany Company have."

On pipeline constraints, the presentation noted: "No parking within 10 feet of the pipeline, no pavement within 5 feet of the pipeline except for crossing in a 45 or 90 degree angle. There's no parallel travel lanes within the easement, and there's no turning within the easement crossing only."

Background and funding context

During the same meeting Treasurer Becky Jenkins reported on recent debt-market activity: the district reported an AAA rating from Standard & Poor's and a successful bond sale that the administration said would generate $75 million for projects described in the campus master plan; closing was discussed as scheduled for March 11 in the meeting notes. Jenkins said the AAA rating and the interest-rate result reduced borrowing costs.

What the district will decide next

Administrators said they will continue civil and environmental analysis, complete schematic cost estimates and convene focused design sessions with teachers and staff. Any substantive change to the terms of a previously adopted donation (for example, the tennis scoreboard) will be returned to the board for consideration.

Ending note

District staff said they will present updated cost estimates and designs as they become available and will continue jurisdictional and planning reviews with city and township partners.