Published: September 10, 2008 06:34 pm      

New Pittsboro school to be completed in 2010

PITTSBORO — — It’s all about meeting the needs for higher education.

Officials and community members here grabbed shovels earlier this week and marked the beginning of construction for a new primary school.

Pittsboro Primary Elementary School will serve as a kindergarten through second-grade level school in an effort to accommodate the growing population of students in the area.

The new school being built on the west side of the Pittsboro Elementary School grounds, along with renovations being made at Tri-West High School, is projected to cost $47 million.

Leo Philbin, superintendent of North West Hendricks Schools, said the new school should be up and running for the 2010 school year.

Philbin said the corporation has been talking about expanding the school for the past two years.

“Some classrooms at Pittsboro Elementary have been moved into separate trailers because there aren’t enough classrooms in the school,” Philbin said.

Gwen Taylor, principal at Pittsboro Elementary School, said the school is in desperate need of more space.

“It’s very crowded,” she said. “We have no place to put the remediation (department) so we have to put them in closets. The cafeteria is too small to accommodate all elementary students.”

Taylor added that the school currently has more than 500 students for this school year and the building’s capacity is 400.

Kevin Shelley with Schmidt Associates construction company said he is confident in the project and is ready to get started.

Shelley said there will be a common bus area and playground for both schools, although the youth baseball and football fields will be moved to the high school and other areas in the community to accommodate the new school. As of right now, the soccer field will remain at its current location.

Tom Stapelton, construction superintendent for Schmidt Associates, said construction will begin within the next week or two. The company will create a perimeter around the construction site to make sure there isn’t any interaction between construction and the students and staff. He said he’s looking forward to constructing the new building.

Along with construction officials, school administrators showed their excitement and support for the new school.

“Hallelujah!” Taylor said. “It’s needed and wonderful that the schools will be side by side.”

Erica Roehling, assistant principal at Pittsboro Elementary, will be serving as principal at the new school.

“I am looking forward to the unity between the two buildings and making sure the new building is seen as a community building,” she said. “We want to make sure parents and students know that both schools are working together in order to create a seamless transition between buildings. I am excited to open and provide a great education facility that provides more space for the growth of the community.”





andrea.hirsch@flyergroup.com