St. Lucie schools lay out multiyear construction schedule; Legacy, Fort Pierce Westwood, Western Grove K‑8 among projects

St. Lucie Public Schools staff reviewed an array of facilities projects and multiyear timelines during the Oct. 28 board work session. Chief of Operations Terrence O'Leary said the district is planning against growth estimates and leveraging partnerships to ensure capacity for new and shifting student populations.

O'Leary reported that Legacy High School opened "on time, on schedule, on budget;" he described the campus as approximately 262,000 square feet with 80 classrooms, career‑technical education labs, a 732‑seat auditorium and a gymnasium with about 1,532 bleacher seats. He said completed infrastructure work and campus readiness enabled the school to begin regular activities and to hang an inaugural athletics banner recognizing the volleyball team.

O'Leary outlined Fort Pierce Westwood (referred to in the presentation as Fort Pierce West Prep), a campus built on the same prototype as Legacy. He said the project advanced from a Jan. 19, 2024 groundbreaking through site and structural work, with Building 1 turnover targeted for the first week of November and a staged move planned for mid‑December; the district is targeting an opening date of Jan. 6, 2026 for students.

For the Western Grove K‑8 (the site later designated as a school to be named by the board), O'Leary said walls are up and the team is using concrete masonry unit (CMU) construction rather than tilt‑wall to accelerate sequencing and build with local trade capacity. Staff said the roadway feeding the site is expected to open in April 2026 and that they are targeting an August 2026 opening.

O'Leary also reviewed the district’s Green Zone consolidation plan—combining Dan McCarty, Lawnwood and St. Lucie into a new K‑8 campus—and said the larger Green Zone K‑8 project included in planning would open in August 2028 if needed. He described design choices intended to reduce operational costs (for example, re‑piping an existing chiller plant to the new campus to save on expensive infrastructure). Other schedule highlights presented by staff included a CA Moore gymnasium move in December 2026 and a Palm Point gym project planned for December 2027. O'Leary said additional expansion buildings are planned at Legacy and Fort Pierce Westwood as needed.

Director of Purchasing Kim Albritton briefed the board on procurement steps under the Consultants' Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA) and reminded board members the district is in a cone of silence while it evaluates construction manager RFQ submissions; staff said plan selection, shortlisting and interviews will occur in late 2025 with a board decision anticipated in December or January. Albritton said the evaluation will emphasize volume of work, local participation and certified MBE involvement, using the same interview criteria as previous large projects.

O'Leary and board members emphasized contingency planning tied to growth, absorption of students from closed charters, and coordination with municipalities for road and infrastructure work. Staff flagged that several dates and the final scope for some projects remain contingent on financing, developer timelines and board approvals.

No binding fiscal approvals were taken at the Oct. 28 workshop; staff said specific construction manager awards, Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) recommendations and project contracts would return to the board for formal action at later meetings.