Planning for the new high school in the Douglas School District continues to move ahead as district officials seek more funding sources for the project.
The Douglas School District Board of Education approved on Monday “the design development of The New Douglas High School as presented on November 8, 2021,” as stated on the meeting agenda, and authorized “(CO-OP Architecture) and DLR Group to proceed with the Construction Document (CD) phase of the contract.”
The board also approved the design contract with CO-OP Architecture and DLR Group for an elementary school.
“We’re continuing to move forward with the construction document phase” of the new high school, Superintendent Kevin Case said the day after the meeting.
The projected cost of the new high school, when considering all aspects of the project, is estimated at $136 million, Case said.
Jared Carda, principal architect for CO-OP Architecture, said earlier this month that the student capacity for the high school was expected to be 1,400, accommodating more than 500 additional students than the current high school, with a size of about 300,000 square feet. The goal for completion is the fall of 2024, Carda said.
Meeting that completion goal is dependent on funding, Case said.
Case added that the district could face the sorts of supply-chain issues, with regard to construction, that have been pervasive throughout the country in recent months.
Case emphasized that district officials will “continue to do our part to be prepared for the new families” expected to move to the area “as a result of the B-21 mission.”
The Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder is scheduled to be the U.S. Air Force’s first base to receive the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
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