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Board approves Frederick Douglass Elementary School design; construction contingent on county funding
Summary
The board approved the design for Frederick Douglass Elementary School, which currently has a 59,386-square-foot footprint, a proposed December construction start and May completion, subject to funding and permitting timelines.
The Wilson County Board of Education on July 21 voted unanimously to approve the current design for Frederick Douglass Elementary School, a project the district says is intended to keep square footage under the 60,000-square-foot target.
Oakley Collier Architects’ John Ham presented the design development package and told the board the building currently measures about 59,386 square feet and uses repeated, low-maintenance exterior elements such as metal siding, a standing-seam metal roof and brick veneer to control cost. Ham said the design team has reduced expensive exterior details and spandrel glazing to achieve cost savings.
Ham told the board the project is on a near-term schedule: a 90% construction-document submittal is due Aug. 1, and signed, sealed plans are targeted for Sept. 15. He said the proposed construction start is December, with a proposed completion in May; he and staff cautioned those dates will depend on county funding and the permitting/resubmittal process. The design includes controlled-access points (card readers) at key locations, a multipurpose/gym space with a pitched lay-in ceiling for athletics and acoustics, and classroom layouts with accessible ceiling systems for future access and cost control.
Board members praised the work. Mr. Breen, who moved approval, and Dr. Fitch, who seconded, asked about budget risk and timeline contingencies; Ham said the team continues to work with subcontractors to keep the project within the expected budget but is still evaluating some documents. District staff said they will share the approved plans with the county manager and provide the board with further information about county-side funding steps that could affect the timeline.
The approved design will proceed to finish construction documents and bid phases; the board and staff stressed that project timing depends on final county funding and any comments from state reviewers.
