The first floor of the academic, athletic and administrative sections of the building are taking shape as the footprint continues around the outdoor courtyard of the building. Another feature that can be seen are the large windows of the building.
“The classrooms will get a lot of natural light,” Franklin Superintendent Michael Sander said.
Sander and Lawrence identified where certain first-floor classrooms are going, such as an industrial arts lab, science and chemistry classrooms, special education classrooms and the art room that will be off the courtyard. The courtyard also will feature an indoor/outdoor stage to create an amphitheater and a smaller indoor performance area.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The new athletic area includes the main gym, auxiliary gym, training room, male and female locker rooms, weight room and a health classroom. Band and choral rooms and the cafeteria are also in this section.
The second floor of the academic section will be the next step in the construction project, plus getting the new facility under roof, Sander said.
“The steel for the second floor is expected to arrive the day after Thanksgiving,” he said. “We expect the building to be totally under roof by January.”
Sander said backlogs in building materials and rising construction costs caused some havoc for Franklin and other area school districts as they construct new buildings approved by taxpayers.
The original completion date to open the new high school was fall 2023; and the junior high school in fall 2025. The projected completion of the new Franklin High School and renovation of the current high school into the new junior high school will be delayed by a few months to January 2024 or later due to a backlog in building supplies.
“The facilities will open in January 2024, moving it back a semester,” Sander said. “Because of the (increasing) costs, we’re going to hold off on the junior high school renovation with a goal of placing it on an accelerated schedule.”
Sander said the contractors still have to stick to the $66 million budget for the new high school, junior high school and bus garage because the district had already locked in their construction costs, he said. However, some alternatives planned in the project may have to be adjusted.
The district has already completed local initiatives such as constructing a new bus garage, and installing gas and utility lines.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Sander said the district is planning to move the preschool from the Hampton Bennett administration building to another elementary school at the end of this school year. He said the district’s central offices will move in February 2023 to the current Franklin High School building at 750 E. Fourth St., where the junior high students are in portable classrooms.
“The Hampton Bennett building is scheduled to be demolished in late spring of 2023 for a new student parking lot,” Sander said. “A new pedestrian bridge is also being constructed linking the new high school and parking lot.”
Franklin City Manager Jonathan Westendorf said a new $2.06 million roundabout on Ohio 123 for the student parking entrance and Community Park will not be ready for the new high school’s opening in January 2024.
“Our goal is to start on the roundabout before the start of the 2024-2025 school year,” he said. “We believe construction could start in February 2024 and take about six months to complete.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Franklin voters approved a bond issue for new school facilities in November 2020 by a ratio of 60% to 40% to provide construction funding for four new buildings and the complete renovation of a fifth, which will convert the current high school on East Fourth Street into a new junior high school.
Because Franklin is participating in the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission’s Expedited Local Partnership Program, the state will pay 57% of the cost of the four new classroom buildings, since voters approved the bond issue for the local share. The state funding for the new Gerke, Schenck and Hunter elementary buildings is expected to be released in 2027, according to district and state officials.
The local bond issue funding will cover the costs of a new high school with career tech, renovation of the existing high school for use as a middle school housing grades 6-8 and other site improvements, including a new roof.
As the new high school construction continues, the city of Franklin is also working on ambitious revitalization plans for the city’s downtown area.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
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