Facilities Project Updates

  • Since the Half-Cent for Schools was approved by Alachua County voters in November of 2019, a wide variety of facilities projects have been completed or are underway at schools throughout the district. These projects include:

Reconstruction Projects

    • Design plans for the revitalization of Howard Bishop Middle School are complete and include the demolition and reconstruction of most of the campus. Demolition of existing buildings is underway. The construction of a transition school to house Bishop students on the campus of Westwood Middle School is nearly complete. The Howard Bishop Middle project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2021.
    • Design plans for the revitalization of Metcalfe Elementary School are complete and include the demolition and reconstruction of most of the campus. Construction of new buildings will begin in the summer of 2020. The Metcalfe Elementary project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2021.
    • Design plans for the revitalization of Idylwild Elementary School are about 60% complete, and include the demolition and reconstruction of a majority of the campus. Demolition of existing buildings will begin in September of 2020. Renovations at Prairie View Elementary, which will house Idylwild students during construction, are complete. The Idylwild project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2021.
    • The selection of a design professional for the renovation/reconstruction of Westwood Middle School is underway. The district is also submitting the required state application to demolish existing buildings at the school.
    • The district is drafting the required state application for permission to demolish buildings on the campus of Williams Elementary School to make way for new construction.

              Reconstruction 1      Reconstruction 2

Construction

    • Design plans for Elementary School I are complete and were based in large part on the design previously used at Meadowbrook Elementary School. Construction has begun with completion scheduled for the fall of 2021.
    • The selection of a design professional for a new 15-classroom building at Oak View Middle School is completed and design is underway.

Renovations

    • Design work for the renovation of the auditoriums at Eastside High School and Santa Fe High School is complete. Some renovation has already been completed at SFHS.  The district is preparing to go to bid for construction services.

              Renovations 1

School-Selected Projects

  • Each school was provided a $50,000 allocation from the Half-Cent for Schools to spend on facilities projects chosen by the school. Many of these projects are either complete or underway, and include playgrounds, furniture, digital marquees, bleachers, sensory paths and other items.

         School Selected 1      School Selected 2      School Selected 3      Norton Marquee      KMS Media      NHS Covered Pavilion

Property Improvements

    • Drainage improvements at Lincoln Middle School and Williams Elementary School campuses are complete.
    • Parking lot reconstruction at Stephen Foster Elementary School is complete
    • Redesign plans for the Wiles Elementary School parking lot are complete and construction is underway.

Security Improvements

  • Security improvements have been made Alachua Elementary, Duval ELA, Shell Elementary, Gainesville High School, Hawthorne Middle/High School, Westwood Middle School, Mebane Middle School, and Santa Fe High School, primarily the addition of fencing and security gates. Installation of new security door locks at all schools except those undergoing major reconstruction is expected to begin in mid-June.

          Security Improvements 1

Land Acquisition

  • The district has closed on property in Jonesville to ‘bank’ for use as a future school site.

HVAC/Roofing

  • Completed

    HVAC and/or roof replacements at the following schools have been completed:

    • A. Quinn Jones (classrooms, administration, and food service)
    • Alachua Elementary (Building 5, Chiller #1 & #2)
    • Howard Bishop (Buildings 26, 30, Chiller #2)
    • Buchholz High School (Building 5)
    • Chiles Elementary (Room 01-087)
    • Duval Early Learning Academy (classrooms, cafeteria, music/art)
    • Eastside High School (Building 15, Hungry Ram)
    • Fearnside Center (Building 1)
    • Fort Clarke Middle (Chiller #1)
    • Foster Elementary (Buildings 1,2,&3)
    • Hawthorne Middle/High School (Buildings 1 & 2)
    • Hidden Oak Elementary (cooling towers and controls)
    • Irby Elementary School (media center & AV labs)
    • Gainesville High School (Buildings 20 & 21)
    • Kanapaha Middle (Chiller #1)
    • Lake Forest Elementary (Building 9)
    • Lincoln Middle (Building 1)
    • Loften High (Grow Hub)
    • Manning Center (Building 7)
    • Metcalfe Elementary 
    • Newberry High School (Buildings 2 &11)
    • Oak View Middle (Boiler #2)
    • Parker Elementary (2 Chillers)
    • Prairie View (Building 3 Chiller)
    • Santa Fe High School (Building 32)
    • Sidney Lanier (Buildings 9, 10, 11 & 12)
    • Sivia Center (HVAC)
    • Talbot Elementary (cooling towers and controls)
    • Terwilliger (Buildings 1 & 10)
    • Wiles Elementary (Building 3cooling towers and controls)

    Underway:

    HVAC and/or roof replacement projects at the following schools are underway:

    • Eastside High (Buildings 7 & 9) 
    • Buchholz High (Buildings 8 &9)
    • Lincoln Middle (Building 2)
    • Newberry High (Building 2 - Gym Locker Room)
    • Hawthorne High (Building 2 - Gym Locker Room)
    • Howard Bishop (Building 19 & 31)
    • Glen Springs (Building 1)
    • Rawlings Elementary
    • Gainesville High (Building 15)

Facilities Story Map

  • More information about the projects planned at each individual school, timelines and progress is available on the district’s Facilities Story Map.