A number of school capital projects were discussed during Tuesday's Frederick County Commissioners and Board of Education monthly meeting. They involved redistricting, a new elementary school for Urbana and Frederick High.

During the meeting, Commissioner Billy Shreve suggested redistricting as a way to ease overcrowded schools. He said it makes no sense to build a new addition on a school, or put portable classrooms in place, if there's another school nearby that has room for more students. Board of Ed President Jean Smith says redistricting should always be a last resort. "We can redistrict once a while, but you can't redistrict every time a school gets overcrowded," she said. "It just doesn't work in the community, and it doesn't have any continuity in the school population."

Regarding portable classrooms, Smith says the school system hasn't purchased any since 2006. Facilities Services Executive Director Ray Barnes says it costs between $25,000 to $30,000 to move a portable from one school to another.

On another topic, school system presented an update on a proposed new elementary school for Urbana. It will be located south of the former Cracked Claw Restaurant. The plan is to have that facility completed by the 2015-16 school year, if the money is there. Barnes says even though the school system will use a basic design for this new classroom building, an architect will still be needed to design the school to fit the characteristics of this property, which was donated by a developer.

Smith says the new elementary school is needed. "Centerville {Elementary School} is at 130% of capacity. It's just bursting at the seams," she says. "The other elementary school is full, and we've got to have another one," she says.

Construction of a new elementary school is expected to take place after work is completed on fitting out the unused portion of Urbana Middle School. That project has been moved from fiscal year 2017 to 2015, says Barnes. The cost of the fitting out is expected to cost $2.6-million, with $1.6-million being donated by a developer.
The current Urbana Elementary School, located along Route 355 next to the Urbana Fire Hall, will continue to operate even as the new grade school comes on line.

In January, the Board of Education agreed to demolish the current Frederick High School, and replace it with a new building. But discussion at Tuesday's meeting centered around whether the new facility should have a swimming pool. "Now the question about the pool is: if we build the pool, where do we get the money," says Smith. "We have instructed the superintendent to form a committee to look at funding."

Smith says the new pool could be a public-private partnership. The School Board says the pool is used during instructional hours.

Smith says the current Frederick High has a pool, but it's "too small and in terrible shape."

When construction begins on the new Frederick High, students will continue attending classes in the current facility. Smith says the new building will be located behind the current facility, but it will still look out on Baker Park and Culler Lake.