Oldham County presents $97 million plan to renovate, expand South Oldham High School

Oldham County facilities staff and construction managers on Monday presented construction documents and a cost estimate for a major renovation and addition to South Oldham High School, asking the school board to approve revised KDE BG‑1 and BG‑3 forms and construction documents as part of the consent agenda.

The presentation, led by Brent Bohannon, director of facilities for Oldham County Schools, and architects and constructors from Rolf Starn Architects and Weir Constructors, outlined a multi‑phase project that will touch “every single space” in the school, add roughly 22 new classrooms and create a new auditorium that officials said will seat just under 800.

The estimate presented to the board placed the construction subtotal at about $97,000,000. Cameron Mathis, project manager for Weir Constructors, said the figure was developed by comparing unit‑price historical data with subcontractor input; the team reported an estimated market cost near $428 per square foot, a figure Mathis said was consistent with recent large school projects.

Bohannon emphasized that the project has been in planning and master‑planning phases for several years and that the facilities department coordinated design work with teachers and school administrators. “After tonight’s presentation, as part of your consent agenda, we’ll be requesting approval of a revised BG‑1, revised BG‑3 cost estimate, and approval of construction documents, which will allow our team to take this project off the drawing boards and put it out on the street to start bidding packages,” Bohannon said.

Architect Beth Bauer of Rolf Starn Architects reviewed the design highlights: a classroom addition on the east side; a southwest auditorium addition; a two‑story media center with a light well; collaboration “social stair” areas; an art lab positioned on the main axis; and a small café/concessions area intended to give a “higher‑ed” feel. The auditorium, Bauer said, will include a balcony and warm finish materials intended for community events and student performances.

Mathis described the project phasing and logistics. He said phase 1 focuses on the classroom addition and temporary accommodations for 15 existing classrooms that must be taken offline, and that an early bid package for temporary classrooms was proposed with a target bid date in early June and a mid‑June start for early work. The full project is planned in four main phases, with Mathis estimating a total schedule of about 42.5 months (roughly three and a half years) from mobilization through final phase completion.

Mathis also addressed bidding strategy and market conditions, saying the team expects competitive subcontractor turnout and that the phased approach and multiple bid packages were chosen to encourage competition and manage costs. He said the team used historical unit prices and subcontractor input to arrive at the $97 million figure and cited a range of $400–$500 per square foot for comparable school work.

Bohannon warned that weather delays earlier in the season had already pushed some elementary projects toward late June or early July substantial completion dates, and said Spectrum’s fiber relocation is pending at one campus before full demolition can proceed. He thanked board leadership, Dr. Radford and building administrators for their participation in planning and phasing.

The board packet included references to KDE (Kentucky Department of Education) forms BG‑1 (funding sources) and BG‑3 (cost estimate) and the presenters asked that the board approve the revised forms and construction documents so bidding could begin; the board took consent‑agenda action on multiple consent items later in the meeting.

If approved, the next procedural steps would be CD (construction documents) approval, a bidding period through late June and July, and phased construction beginning in October, according to Mathis’s timeline. Early work that must be completed before school starts includes temporary classroom installation and site mobilization.

Speakers who took part in the presentation included Brent Bohannon, director of facilities; Beth Bauer, Rolf Starn Architects; and Cameron Mathis, project manager for Weir Constructors. Principal Woosley was named as a coordination contact for phasing but did not make formal remarks during the presentation.

The board did not take a separate roll‑call vote on the project presentation during the instructional session; the presenters asked for CD and BG approvals as part of the consent agenda later in the meeting.