Board approves schematic design for 31,919 sq ft addition at Jonathan Hager Elementary

The Washington County Board of Education approved schematic design documents for a two-floor addition at Jonathan Hager Elementary after a presentation by BFM Architects.

Aaron House of BFM Architects told the board the proposed addition totals 31,919 square feet (just one square foot under the maximum allowed by the state allocation) and that the current construction cost estimate including site work, relocatables and contingency is "just under $18,600,000." He described the plan as including kindergarten and first-grade classrooms on the first floor, second- and third-grade classrooms on the second floor, specialty instruction areas and temporary relocatable classrooms and a temporary paved play area during construction.

Board members asked how the addition would affect district capacity. The architect and staff said the project would increase the building’s capacity to about 865 students and relieve overcrowding at Thomas J. Garner Elementary and some other schools affected by recent redistricting.

Materials and site questions: A board member raised concerns about building materials used in the existing school and asked that the design team avoid repeating materials that had proven problematic on earlier construction. The architect said staff had discussed materials with school personnel and would address durability and the specific finish details during later design phases.

Vote and next steps: A board member moved to approve the schematic documents and the board voted to approve them. The schematic approval moves the project forward toward detailed design and procurement; the public record during this meeting did not include a construction timeline or a guaranteed bid date.

Attribution: Architect Aaron House provided the schematic figures and the district’s staff and school administrators answered capacity and materials questions during the board’s discussion.