A facilities study conducted in 2019 identified major challenges at both schools, including:
The costs associated with these repairs, updates, and refurbishments well exceed our yearly $1.3 million dollar district-wide facilities budget.
The total cost of the recommended Middle School Plan is $135 million*.
*The total cost decreased from $140 million to $135 million based on the cost to rebuild and remodel Urban Middle School on its current site (rather than build new offsite).
The referendum's impact on the district mill rate will be $0.20 per $1,000 of property valuation yearly for 20 years.
*updated July 2024
2023-24 District mill rate is $6.09
FARNSWORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL - Rebuild Farnworth Middle School on the existing site.
URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOL - Build a new Urban Middle School on 58.7 acres of vacant land at the intersection of Mill and Najacht Roads, 1.4 miles from the existing school site.
Based on the community survey results and feedback from the five community meetings, the Board decided to rebuild and remodel Urban Middle School at the existing school campus, rather than building at Mill and Najacht Roads.
*updated July 2024
FARNSWORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL
URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
It was a five-year process to review and vet all possible sites to arrive at the final recommended location.
Why not build the new Urban on the donated North 15th Street property (former Polar Ware Company site) the District owns? This site was determined not to be a viable solution by conducting a thorough review of the property including geotechnical, environmental, and wetland delineation. Specifically, the 37.8 acres of property contain a large number of wetlands that make site planning difficult. The water table is extremely high and would require the school to be built higher than normal, which would add costs to the project, and the location of the school on the site, in proximity to a plastics/chemical company mixing facility, all combine to make this site not the best option.
Why not build the new Urban on the corner of Najacht and Mill Roads? This was the originally proposed location to rebuild Urban Middle School, when the referendum projects were presented to the community. But, based on concerns gathered from the community survey and voiced at five community meetings, the Board decided against this location. Parents expressed concerns about traffic and safety, proximity to the school community, and impact on neighborhoods. Community members raised location concerns, environmental/safety concerns, and the desire to preserve a historic school building.
updated July 2024
FARNSWORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL
URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
A remodeled and rebuilt Urban Middle School would have:
The existing facade would be remodeled.
No. Due to the projected cost of $12-$15 million for a basic auditorium, adding this cost to the referendum for either school is not feasible. That said, a mini-stage (with lights, sound, and audiovisual display) will be constructed in the school cafeteria (commons area), similar to the ones at North and South High Schools.
The new construction, demolition, and remodeling of the old buildings will occur in several phases. The old schools would continue operating as normal while the new building is being built. This project will certainly require thoughtful and proactive safety planning by the construction manager. Based on the numerous jobs these contractors have managed in similar situations, we feel their experiences and level of expertise will keep students and staff safe.