Design For Central High School Approved

The Salina USD 305 Board of Education unanimously approved schematic designs for Central High School at the April 14 work session.

Board approval means that detailed design work will now begin. Central High School’s (CHS) main entrance will be moved from Front to Crawford Street. To make it a more accessible resource, the media center will move to the center of the building. On the west side of the building, science and performing arts sections will be added with art and Career Technical Education spaces located at the southeast end of the building. The new storm shelter/auxiliary gym will be on the east end.

Other design features include:
• New & renovated performing arts area
• New art areas
• New & renovated Career Technical Education(CTE) program spaces
• Renovated athletics area
• Renovate commons area
• Renovated administration area
• Renovate computer labs
• Renovate general classrooms & Special Education
• Eight new classrooms
• New science classrooms and labs

A CHS team of building staff, architects and builders began design work for physical spaces last fall. Concurrently, a CTE Task Force has been exploring program expansion and refinement, producing outcomes that are integrated into the schematic designs.

Construction at CHS is expected to begin with the new west wing which will house science. A tentative timeline has construction beginning in late fall of 2015. Work at CHS is expected to be completed during school year 2017-18.

Central High School’s schematic design is a part of the $110 million bond approved in April 2014. Both Central and South high schools are under a Construction Manager at Risk (CMR) contract style. A CMR delivery method was chosen to minimize the chances of cost increases and reduce the potential for delays. At the same time, it maximizes what can be built for the money.

McCownGordon Construction, as CMR, has been involved throughout the design process, allowing the collaborative design team to make more informed design decisions. As a result of their thorough understanding of both the design and the available subcontractors in Salina, McCownGordon will be able to customize bid packages to maximize local subcontractor involvement.

Story by: Jennifer Bradford-Vernon / USD 305