THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406180058
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Short
DATELINE: 940619 LENGTH:
Or can it get by with a $25 million building for 1,100 students?
{REST} The city must make that decision soon.
The Municipal Finance Commission, a group of citizen volunteers, has recommended a $25 million limit for the construction of a new high school on High Street. For a city with a capital improvements budget of less than $24 million - about half of it borrowed money - each year, that limit appears to make economic sense.
In the few years since a new Churchland High was built, construction costs have escalated from $58 per square foot to $78.50 per square foot. Even that high figure is likely to increase if construction is delayed because implementation of new state code requirements could cost more.
In addition to the imminent code changes, the city also is under pressure from black residents pressing for the new school, pressure that precipitated destruction of the solid building on the site designated for the new school.
Downsizing the building would cost re-design money and also time, delaying the anticipated opening of the school from 1997 to 1998.
The city must weigh the likelihood of increased costs, if the building is delayed a year, against the total amount that could be saved by down-sizing.
The decision should be made strictly in terms of financial responsibility.
by CNB