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RRMM presents six options, $51.5M deferred-maintenance estimate in Page County schools master plan update
Summary
RRMM Architects told the Page County school board the district faces a 15% enrollment decline over the past decade, about $51.5 million in deferred maintenance over five years, and six high-level options ranging from maintenance-only to building a single county high school; the firm recommended narrowing options and running programming workshops.
RRMM Architects presented a facilities master-plan update to the Page County Public Schools board, warning that declining enrollment and deferred maintenance will force difficult choices about school consolidations and new construction.
"Overall, enrollment has decreased by 15% in the last 10 years," said Chris Phillips, principal in charge at RRMM, noting projections that enrollment could decline another 8% over the next decade. He told the board its Bureau Veritas facilities-condition assessments (2023) and RRMM’s validation point to roughly $51,500,000 of deferred maintenance to address over five years.
The presentation framed six conceptual options for trustees to consider: (1) a deferred‑maintenance approach keeping all nine schools open; (2) deferred maintenance plus heavy phased renovations; (3) consolidate middle grades into the high schools and reduce elementary count to four; (4) a combined high/middle school model plus four elementary schools (seven total); (5) build two new preK–6 campuses on existing high‑school sites and renovate high schools; and (6) a countywide high school with repurposing of existing facilities. Phillips emphasized these are conceptual, not final recommendations, and recommended narrowing the choices to three for deeper study.
Why it matters: RRMM’s data indicates the district is operating with uneven capacity (elementary average about 90% but some schools far below and others above) and middle/high school capacity near 64%. The firm estimated that, on current trajectories, the district could lose the equivalent of a full high school’s worth of students by 2035–36, which affects long‑term operational and capital planning.
Board members asked detailed questions about cost drivers, site constraints and program impacts. On energy use, RRMM highlighted anomalies at the newer high schools that reflect full air conditioning and extended athletic use, which raises per‑student energy costs. On renovations, the consultants said plumbing, trenching and pump‑station work at the Technical Center welding shop are significant cost considerations; officials noted contractor estimates cited in the presentation were made in 2023 and should be updated.
Phillips outlined next steps if trustees give direction: hold programming workshops with administrators and program leads, test‑fit options on existing sites, engage cost‑estimating, and hold additional community meetings. Superintendent Dr. Johnson confirmed RRMM is under contract and that the next work is already funded.
The board did not take action on a single option Tuesday; several members praised the presentation and asked administration to return with programming workshops and refined cost estimates. Phillips said the team will return with more detailed scenarios after district staff identify which options to pursue further.
