Building Our Future Capital Improvement Program Print E-mail
Saturday, 27 August 2005
ImageAfter months of anticipation, the voters of Bossier Parish approved a $70,000,000 bond issue for new schools, classroom wing additions and renovations on September 18, 2004. Following a successful bond sale in early 2005, Architects were selected for specific projects. “Building Our Future...” is the motto of the Capital Improvement Program. Bossier Schools are an important ingredient on the Bossier City / Bossier Parish success formula. “Building Our Future...” is the motto of the Capital Improvement Program. Bossier Schools are an important ingredient on the Bossier City / Bossier Parish success formula. The main focus of the Capital Improvement Program is to provide state of the art classrooms in areas where real growth is experienced, and improve the existing facilities parish-wide.

Three new schools are planned in growth areas to relieve overcrowding at Parkway High School and Apollo, Benton and Stockwell Place Elementary Schools. In the case of Parkway, its original design as a middle school plus the later addition of Sun City Elementary on the same campus has created challenges to safe and effective operations. The new high school will provide twenty-first century facilities for the area of south Bossier expected to have continued growth.

In the last bond issue of the late 1990’s, Bossier Schools opened two new middle schools at Benton and Haughton. Dramatic residential development has continued in both these areas north and east of Bossier City. To provide for this continued growth, two new elementary schools are planned, with large classroom additions for Benton and Haughton High Schools.

The school system is currently studying tracts of land presented by land owners and developers as potential school sites. The North Elementary School will provide relief to Apollo Elementary, Bossier’s largest elementary school, as well as Benton Elementary. The East Elementary School will provide additional facilities in the fasted growing area of the parish.

New Classroom wings are planned for Benton High School and Haughton High School. Each project will provide the necessary number of science labs for instruction and classrooms for other programs. Sixteen classrooms are planned for Benton High, including six science labs. In addition to eight science labs and sixteen other classrooms, a new gymnasium, cafeteria expansion and renovation work is planned at Haughton High. Modular classroom wing additions are planned for Meadowview, Plantation Park and Waller Elementary Schools. Each eight-classroom wing will provide additional classroom space with restrooms and amenities to avoid placing T-buildings for these growing programs.

One of the first projects underway will be conversion of the former main Bossier Community College Campus to other uses. This fall bids will be taken to convert the A-C building to classrooms for Airline high School. This wing will include new science and technology labs, special education programs and administrative areas. Next year the L-C Building and associated buildings south of the service driveway will become the BPSB Instructional Center, giving Technology, Instructional Services and Curriculum Departments improved facilities for their support of education.

Bossier Elementary will have air conditioning, boiler and life safety improvements to its school plant, as well as other additional and improvements currently approved for study, based on recent reports of the condition of the facilities. Schematic programs under study include administrative offices, school entrances and security, and media center/ library.
Parish-wide programs to air-condition gymnasiums will provide at least one large air-conditioned assembly area for school activities at each school while improving physical education and enrichment at all levels of instruction. The plan for gymnasium air-conditioning is to design, bid and build multi-school projects on a nine-month cycle that will prioritize the elementary schools.

Cafeteria Kitchen air-conditioning will be accomplished as summer construction projects, bidding a number of schools each spring for summer completion, with the high schools being first priority for the four to five year program. High schools will also have paved areas with canopies for dining and other activities.

Two projects approved by voters of bossier Parish for bond funds have already been completed by the Maintenance Department. Permanent walls were constructed at Bellaire Elementary School, replacing the original vinyl accordion room divider curtains which were original to the school. Replacement of rooftop classroom air conditioning units at Curtis Elementary were substantially completed this summer as well. Rounding out the Capital Improvements program are paving improvements at Platt & Rodes, Benton Elementary and Haughton High, Sewer improvements at Elm Grove.

Currently most of the projects are in the pre-design phase. Local Architectural and Engineering firms began by meeting together with Supervisors in the Maintenance, Technology and Curriculum Departments to establish Parish standards for quality, low-maintenance facilities which also meet instructional standards. As Architect for the new high school, Slack Alost Associates is taking the lead in outlining the standards for buildings and other firms including MHSM Architects, The Newman-Marchive Partnership, SGB Architects, Somdal Associates, Bledsoe Architects, John Guth Associates, Aillet Fenner Jolly & McClelland, Fenner Consulting and Harriss-Jambor Associates will collaborate on consistent application of these standards to individual school projects.

In addition to the Capital Improvement Program, funded by sales of bonds on property tax revenues, the voters of Bossier Parish also approved a one-quarter cent sales tax, on fourth of which will provide more than $1,000,000 per year for repair and upkeep of major building systems such as roofs, floors and air conditioning in existing school facilities. The support by the citizens of Bossier Parish of Bossier Parish Schools in maintaining and improving our schools is greatly appreciated.