"I'm happy to be the leader of the team that will make EACS the premiere school district in northeast Indiana."FORT WAYNE – The Southwest Allen County Schools board heard updates Tuesday on construction projects planned for three of the district’s schools.
Late last year, the board approved a nearly $2 million general-obligation bond issue to cover the costs of the projects, including architectural design work, Southwest Allen business manager Jim Coplen said.
Among the projects are the addition of at least 102 parking spaces and new tennis facilities at Homestead High School; a kitchen renovation project at Haverhill Elementary; and a project to create a secure entry area at Lafayette Meadows Elementary.
The new tennis area would include 12 courts and a building with a team meeting area, bathrooms and locker rooms, a representative from Barton-Coe-Vilamaa told the board. The additional parking would be between the stadium and an existing parking lot and would primarily be reserved for sophomore and junior students.
The high school projects are expected to cost $1 million, Coplen said.
The remaining money would be split between the elementary schools – leaving $700,000 for Haverhill Elementary and $100,000 for Lafayette Meadows, Coplen said.
Haverhill’s kitchen expansion would add about 1,218 square feet to the existing 1,057-square-foot area and would streamline food service lines, a representative from Moake Park Group Inc. told the board.
The secure entry at Lafayette Meadows involves moving the point of entry for visitors, the representative said.
Currently, visitors buzz in outside the school and are released into the main hallway and expected to stop by the office before proceeding, he said. The new layout would require visitors to enter the office first.
The board plans to review the projects again by the end of March and will open bids to companies beginning in April, according to a timeline presented during the board meeting.
