MCPS gets the ball rolling on two new elementary schools

Barbara A. Harvey Elementary in Parrish (Photo courtesy of Hepner Architects)

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Sept. 29, 2023. 

A school district committee has selected an architectural firm and construction companies to implement new elementary school’s “X” and “W” into the Marion County school district.  

These two elementary schools are a vital addition to aid growth in the school district. The projects will not alleviate overcrowding, though, with the flood of families relocating to Florida. Marion County Public Schools tallied data on student population and numbers have already proved to increase, said MCPS spokesperson Kevin Christian. 

Establishing the schools “W” and “X,” swiftly and efficiently is necessary to support congestion. 

The MCPS Membership Summary Table for 2023-2024 displays that the projected total of students enrolled in elementary schools will be 21,366 for the year. On the first day of school, Aug. 10, 18,541 students were counted present, but as of Sep. 11, the 20th day, 21,228 students were there. In just 20 days the membership grew by 2,687, nearing the projected total and possibly meaning numbers will pass the estimated population. 

In a Sep. 12 school board meeting, the board approved funding by certificates of participation for the two elementary school projects each valued at $42.5 million.  

The locations will be sites A and B in the southwest quadrant of Marion County.   

To move ahead on construction, clearing Site B, where school “W” will be built, is first in motion. Tallen Builders LLC was tasked with this, and the estimated cost of $267,482 for the task is due to the heavily wooded land. The expected completion date is Dec. 31, 2023. Site B is the reference name used for the district’s Marion Oaks site. 

Selecting companies equipped for the magnitude of these schools required a special committee. Christian said, “committees are formed for each new school design so these two schools will be the only projects for this particular committee.” 

The panel was assembled with the purpose of performing the “Professional Services Selection Process” that MCPS has conducted for 20 years now. It consists of eight figures total, including two principals in the county and School Board Member Dr. Sarah James.  

 This selection committee started work in June of this year selecting Hepner Architects Inc. for design and creation management for both schools.  

The process started with 10 competing architectural firms submitting for hire. The entries were narrowed down to four companies, each presenting prototype schools to display. The committee members then visited and gauged the designs to select the best-fit layout for the elementary schools to be modeled after. The other three final contending businesses included Schenkel & Shultz Architecture, Rowe Architects, and Harvard Jolly Architecture.  

Hepner’s prototype school was Barbara A. Harvey Elementary in Parrish. The company had the highest score on the committee’s evaluation sheet with a score of 47. Schenkel followed closely with 46.7, Harvard with 43.3, and Rowe with 35.6.  

In a Sep. 7 school board meeting, James said, “when we walked into this design for this school, as the selection committee, we were all in love.” James said the design was, “so safe,” because of its single point of entry.  

Just as the design, the school’s “W” and “X” will have that safety factor with single points of entry. Christian said it is convenient for viewing the entire floorplan of the school and community access will remain as straightforward as before with front doors at those locations. That security factor is also already available at other recently developed elementary schools such as Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary and Legacy Elementary.  

Besides the entryway, renderings with more features and location viewing have not yet been released. The layouts are still in progress as the architects adjust and meet with the district departments for specifics.  

Along with selecting the design team, bringing the buildings to life required further consideration of the proper construction support for the job. Prequalified companies are formed with the intent to build high-cost projects and therefore submit entry to be chosen by the committee. Both A.D. Morgan and Ausley were two companies approved for prequalification by the school board on June 13 for MCPS major construction projects.  

Prior projects by the corporations were assessed, and the committee members conducted interviews to evaluate which would tackle them. After final deliberation of six prequalified submissions, A.D. Morgan ranked highest with an overall score of 15.8 and successively ranked Ausley with a score of 13.9. The other four finalists included Wharton-Smith Inc. with 13.5, Skanska USA Building Inc, with 13.3, WELBRO Building Corporation with 10.8, and Allstate Construction Inc. with 10.6.  

Consequently, the committee designated construction services for school “W” to A.D. Morgan Corporation and allocated provisions for school “X” to Ausley Construction Company LLC, so that both corporations could work simultaneously.  

To prevent the replication of services, as mandated by the state, projects should distribute equability, and refrain from recycling contractors. Christian said A.D. Morgan has completed $2.3 million in projects for the district before intercepting school “W.” Ausley has well surpassed in district work with projects adding up to $13 million.  

The selection committee’s decision to hire the three companies was approved by the school board exempt from James. As a member of the board and committee, she abstained voluntarily from voting for bias and conflicts of interest.  

School Board Chair Dr. Allison Campbell said in the Sep. 7 meeting, “there’s a lot of growth happening in the state of Florida, and we are not alone in the need for new schools for sure.”