A new elementary school was included in the approved 2011-2012 District Facilities Five Year Work Program to support recent and future growth impacting Ruskin and Cypress Creek Elementary Schools.  On July 17, 2012, the Board appointed Wilder Architecture Inc., and Batson-Cook Company to provide design and construction management services.

The school is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, and provides capacity for 940 students.  The school will be built on property owned by the School Board adjacent to Lennard High School and will open in August 2014 for the 2014-2015 school year.

The project includes expansion of the chiller plant at Lennard High School using thermal ice storage to provide cooling for the new school, in lieu of construction of a separate chiller plant. This approach will increase the reliability of the cooling systems, reduce  maintenance and repair costs, and result in lower electricity costs for both schools.

Approval of the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) will establish the cost for the project.

Total construction cost is warranted at $15,405,000.  $14,673,854 is budgeted in the District Capital Outlay: Impact Fees to fund the new school.  An additional $731,146 is funded from District Capital Outlay: Local Millage for the expansion of the chiller plant at Lennard High School.