The Richland County Community School District 1 board reviewed two athletic‑building layouts and directed staff to put the smaller “Option A” out to bid while continuing to refine a separate plan for a Vets Hall, maintenance area and wrestling space.

Architect Emily from FGM described Option A as the smaller plan with varsity locker rooms, training area, coaches’ office, concessions and a family/ADA user restroom layout; Option B adds about 6,000 square feet to provide a Vets Hall and additional program space. "Option A is more in line with the first iteration...the second option is showing the additional wrestling area and then the Vets Hall," the architect said.

Cost and code implications: early budgets presented to the board put Option A at about $5,900,000 (including contingencies) and Option B at about $7,900,000. Presenters said a major driver for the higher cost in Option B is a certified storm shelter requirement when an educational occupancy exceeds state thresholds, which requires special construction to meet code. The architect noted that if an accessory building is separated and educational occupancy stays under 50 people, the storm‑shelter requirement can be avoided, reducing cost.

Separate Vets Hall/maintenance/wrestling building: presenters outlined a lower‑cost separate building option—a pre‑fabricated shell or post‑frame metal building—estimated roughly $300,000–$500,000 for a basic shell and roughly $500,000–$750,000 including approaches and utilities depending on the level of finish and whether climate control is added. The contractor noted that adding 40–50 foot wings for wrestling or maintenance would cost about $100,000 each.

Procurement and schedule: staff said they were targeting Jan. 29 to put structural bid packages on the street and aimed to begin construction in May or June, with alternates included on bid day to allow the district flexibility when awarding contracts. The board approved moving forward with Option A for bidding and asked the team to continue refining scope and costs for the separate Vets Hall and maintenance spaces.

The board will review returned bids and final cost estimates before awarding construction contracts.