A previously approved District Facilities Five Year Work Program provides for a new elementary school in southern Hillsborough County to ensure the availability of satisfactory classrooms for the projected student enrollment in K-12 programs. Capacity is needed by the 2017-18 school year to relieve overcrowding at Collins, Summerfield and Summerfield Crossing Elementary Schools. (Other Area 8 schools may be impacted) The developer of the Triple Creek development currently being constructed adjacent to Balm Riverview Road near the intersection with Big Bend Road is required to dedicate land for a school site as a condition of their zoning, and has proposed a site within the development as indicated on an attachment. Acquisition of the site is ongoing, and appointment of an architect for design of the new facility is needed now to allow completion of the facility prior to the 2017-18 school year.

When feasible, the reuse of an existing, proven design is the fastest, most cost-effective way to accomplish new school design. Florida Statutes require district school boards to reuse school designs when feasible and practical, and allow direct appointment of design professionals when reusing plans. To select a prototype for reuse at Elementary "C", a committee comprised of representatives of the District's maintenance and construction departments, the Chief Operations Officer and the area superintendent for Area 8 evaluated five recently completed elementary schools. The committee collected input from the respective principals and maintenance supervisors, and received a presentation from each respective architect on the potential adaptation of his design to the site for Elementary "C". After consideration of several factors, including maintainability, functionality, energy efficiency, and construction cost, the committee concluded that reuse of the design of Bailey Elementary School would provide the best solution for Elementary "C". Appointment of Holmes Hepner & Associates Architects, Inc. to adapt the Bailey Elementary School design for Elementary "C" for a fixed fee of $597,519 is therefore recommended.