It was an electric moment at this month’s Buena Vista School Board meeting: Superintendent Heather Ault stood in front of Board members at the Ramsey Center last Thursday and announced that the state has awarded more than $5 million to Buena Vista City Public Schools to help with an expansion of the combined Parry McCluer High School and Middle School campus.
Ault’s announcement was met by multiple rounds of cheers from the Board and everyone else in the room.
The School Construction Assistance Program grant from the Virginia Department of Educa- tion, sought by the school system, totals $5,190,000, which is 30% of the division’s budget for the project.
“This is the highest a division can be awarded,” Ault said to more clapping and cheers. “So, these are grant funds; they don’t have to be paid back.”
This year, Buena Vista’s middle and high schools combined into the Parry McCluer High School building because of concerns about the aging middle school building. The two schools operate independently under one roof, with separate restrooms, entrances and pick-up and drop-off locations. Shared spaces such as the cafeteria, library, art room and band room are used on staggered schedules to maintain separation between middle and high school students.
Ault said the grant will go towards renovations within the existing building designed to support the middle school and construction of a new combined gymnasium/auditorium and a new wood shop for the entire student body. She hopes the renovations will enable staff to “meet the unique needs of each age group while utilizing existing facility space to the greatest extent possible.”
The planned expansion is approximately 18,600 square feet along with roughly 4,000 square feet for the new wood shop near the field house, Ault and representatives from RRMM Architects said in the February Board meeting.
At Thursday’s meeting, the School Board officially approved a contract with RRMM Architects to provide architectural services for the project. The next step is to secure construction services.
“We are very excited about this development and look forward to continuing to move the project forward,” Ault said in a statement to The News-Gazette. “We are thrilled to secure this grant funding for the project — a meaningful accomplishment for our school community!”
So far, Ault said the transition to a combined middle and high school has gone better than anyone could have imagined and thanked teachers and staff for their hard work.
“That’s a direct reflection of the extraordinary work of our staff,” Ault said. “A move of this magnitude, I just can’t adequately articulate the plans, the time, the coordination, the problem solving, the hard work-it’s more than anyone will ever see.”
Ault said the School Board will continue to work collaboratively with city administration and City Council to establish a timeline for the project to be completed.
“Under the requirements of the school construction grant, the timeline must be finalized within six months of receiving the grant funds,” Ault said. “We will move forward thoughtfully and promptly to ensure that requirement is met.”
The remaining costs of the project will require local funding. Buena Vista’s voters will be presented with a referendum question Nov. 3 on whether to approve a 1 percent sales tax that would help provide that local revenue.
