Olentangy board reviews High School 5 site plans: Delco water tower lease, annexation, architect amendment and wetland mitigation
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Summary
Administrators told the board they plan a ground lease with Delco Water Company to place a water tower at the Elementary 18 site (one acre exchange), a pre-annexation agreement with the City of Delaware to secure water/sanitary service for High School 5, a $1.9 million amendment to Fanning Howie for construction services, and a wetland mitigation purchase to offset about 1.8 acres of on-site disturbance.
Officials outlined multiple actions tied to the High School 5 project and site development at the Olentangy Local Board of Education meeting on Dec. 16.
Mister Gordon described a proposed ground lease with Delco Water Company that would allow Delco to place a water tower on an acre of the Elementary 18 site; in exchange Delco would run a water line the district would otherwise have paid (he cited an avoided cost of approximately $486,000). Gordon said the acre’s land value is roughly $55,000 per acre, and the arrangement avoids the district incurring the waterline construction cost.
Gordon also summarized a pre-annexation agreement with the City of Delaware, needed to secure water and sanitary services for the High School 5 site because the city holds service rights north of Bunny Station Road. He said staff have drafted language and will proceed with petition steps for annexation when appropriate.
On design/construction, Gordon presented a fourth amendment to an existing contract with Fanning Howie adding construction services for High School 5; the amendment amount was given as $1,900,000. He explained the district’s strategy of using prototype designs and negotiating percentages to achieve savings on architectural fees and rising construction costs.
Finally, Gordon described a wetland mitigation purchase to offset about 1.8 acres of wetlands that will be disturbed by the project. The district will purchase credits in a wetland bank elsewhere in the state to satisfy mitigation requirements while retaining some on-site wetlands.
Board members asked whether the Delco agreement would delay construction; Gordon said the tower is for future planning and will not delay current construction because current water pressure met building needs. He said the district is coordinating easements and utility work with developers and county utility authorities.
These items were presented for board consideration and are expected to return for formal action in upcoming meetings tied to the bond-funded schedule.