The Williamsburg-James City County School Board is facing a decision on what to do about filling the need for a fourth middle school: Should it build a new one or renovate an existing building to meet needs by 2017?
With the decision pending, the board is looking to the community for input. A community comments page has been launched, and it includes information about the project from the 17-member Middle School Committee.
At a June board meeting, Superintendent Steven Constantino relayed information he heard from the committee: The James Blair Middle School property seemed to be the most practical site for the new middle school.
The committee, tasked with making recommendations about the school, suggested three different construction routes:
- Construct a new James Blair Middle School behind the existing school currently used for administration on the current site with a price tag of $39 million
- Demolish the existing James Blair Middle School and rebuild it on the same site at a cost of $39 million plus the cost of demolition
- Redesign and expand the existing James Blair Middle School for about $35 million
The board originally had until September to make a decision on the new school plan, but there’s a cushion that would allow an extra month.
On June 26, an invitation was posted in an online message board, asking for citizen comments. More than a month later, one citizen has responded.
“I believe redesigning James Blair would be faster and more cost efficient than a new school. We need this to happen fast,” wrote a citizen identified only as Amy.
To date, no other comments have been received, said Betsy Overkamp-Smith, the schools’ director for public relations and engagement.
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