School construction, student-zoning begins in St. Johns
ST. JOHNS COUNTY -- The St. Johns County School Board awarded The Tower Group a $93.7 million project to build new schools and school additions in a county where school zoning has sparked community interest.
The general contracting and construction management company's school projects include a new $11 million ninth-grade center at Bartram Trail High School, a $14.6 million elementary school, a $33.25 million middle school and a new $48 million high school.
Tower won the bids from May to August of this year for all four projects estimated to serve more than 3,600 elementary, middle and high school students.
Tower will now have seven projects in St. Johns County and 15 school projects in Northeast Florida. Based in South Florida, the company established a Jacksonville office in 1999.
All four of the school projects are now under construction, and Tower has scheduled completion of the elementary school for May of 2007, the middle school for June of 2007, the ninth-grade center for August of 2007. Officials expect the new high school to be completed by April of 2008.
A separate high school not being built by Tower is scheduled to be opened for the 2008-2009 school year near Davis Park in Ponte Vedra Beach, said Tom Schwarm, senior director of school operations for the St. Johns County School District.
Ideal capacity for elementary schools is 700 students, for middle schools 1,000 students and for high schools 1,500 students, he said.
Though it has yet to be officially decided, the elementary and middle schools will serve students in the middle and northern portions of the county, near the World Golf Village, Schwarm said.
St. Johns County residents have scheduled town hall meetings with the school board Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 to discuss potential zoning solutions for the new schools and to gauge resident reaction to several scenarios for specific school zonings.
Residents "want to know what the district is thinking and what it's going to look like," Schwarm said. "The purpose is to get feedback from the public about what is going to work and what's not going to work for them."
The school district plans to launch a Web site that will allow residents to e-mail the school district and school board members with any concerns or feedback, he said.
Rapid growth in the county has stirred some of the interest in additional schools and new space.
The general contracting and construction management company's school projects include a new $11 million ninth-grade center at Bartram Trail High School, a $14.6 million elementary school, a $33.25 million middle school and a new $48 million high school.
Tower won the bids from May to August of this year for all four projects estimated to serve more than 3,600 elementary, middle and high school students.
Tower will now have seven projects in St. Johns County and 15 school projects in Northeast Florida. Based in South Florida, the company established a Jacksonville office in 1999.
All four of the school projects are now under construction, and Tower has scheduled completion of the elementary school for May of 2007, the middle school for June of 2007, the ninth-grade center for August of 2007. Officials expect the new high school to be completed by April of 2008.
A separate high school not being built by Tower is scheduled to be opened for the 2008-2009 school year near Davis Park in Ponte Vedra Beach, said Tom Schwarm, senior director of school operations for the St. Johns County School District.
Ideal capacity for elementary schools is 700 students, for middle schools 1,000 students and for high schools 1,500 students, he said.
Though it has yet to be officially decided, the elementary and middle schools will serve students in the middle and northern portions of the county, near the World Golf Village, Schwarm said.
St. Johns County residents have scheduled town hall meetings with the school board Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 to discuss potential zoning solutions for the new schools and to gauge resident reaction to several scenarios for specific school zonings.
Residents "want to know what the district is thinking and what it's going to look like," Schwarm said. "The purpose is to get feedback from the public about what is going to work and what's not going to work for them."
The school district plans to launch a Web site that will allow residents to e-mail the school district and school board members with any concerns or feedback, he said.
Rapid growth in the county has stirred some of the interest in additional schools and new space.
