ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 5, 1995                   TAG: 9510050036
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FINCASTLE                                LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION, IMPROVEMENTS TO BE $2 MILLION MORE THAN ESTIMATED

The cost of two Botetourt County school projects could be about $2 million higher than previously estimated, according to a plan adopted by the county School Board on Wednesday night.

The School Board's capital improvement plan now estimates that improvements to Lord Botetourt High School and construction of a new Daleville Elementary School will cost nearly $11.3 million.

The cost of the two projects previously had been estimated at $9.4 million.

The School Board unanimously approved the capital improvement plan, which outlines school building projects.

School Superintendent Clarence McClure said the jump in price is a result of space added to accommodate the county's growing student population and the escalating cost of construction.

"The cost of buildings put up five years ago was much lower that it is today," McClure said Wednesday afternoon, before the meeting. "Unless we have a change in our economy, prices will continue to rise."

McClure emphasized the estimated cost is only a projection.

"We're making estimates now," he said. "We are going to try to get the construction done as economically as possible."

The county schools already are being pushed to the limits by a growing student population fueled by a building boom in the south county.

"I don't think we have a choice but to build the building," McClure said.

Both the Lord Botetourt and Daleville Elementary projects are being pushed ahead of schedule because of growth, McClure said.

"These two projects are certainly needed with the growth," said School Board Chairman Jim Ruhland, who represents the Blue Ridge District. "If we wait any longer, it is not going to get any cheaper."

School officials will ask the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 17 to allocate $225,000 so it can hire architects for the projects.

The new Daleville Elementary School, scheduled for completion in July 1998, would be built to accommodate between 500 and 600 students, McClure said. Previous student projections estimated between 450 and 500 students at Daleville, but that figure had to be pushed up in anticipation of growth.

McClure said the school will be built so it can be easily expanded. The cafeteria, library and gymnasium will have to be built with enough space to handle the anticipated growth. That, too, will drive the cost up, he said.

Elementary schools at Fincastle, Blue Ridge, Troutville and Cloverdale are already at more than 90 percent of capacity. Educators try to keep the school at less than 90 percent full to give them flexibility in keeping student-teacher ratios low.

The eight new classrooms at Lord Botetourt will be necessary to serve those elementary students as they move through the school system, McClure said. 


 by CNB