TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

2 Schools To Open By 2010

ADVERTISEMENT

By RAY REYES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2007

PLANT CITY - The Hillsborough County School Board has budgeted $316 million over the next five years for construction projects, and according to the plan officials presented to city commissioners on Monday, a portion of that money will be spent in the Plant City area.

Two schools will open in the Plant City area by 2010, Cathy Valdes, chief facilities officer for the school board, told commissioners at Monday's workshop.

A high school will be built on 100 acres between McIntosh and Gallagher roads west of the city and is expected to open in 2009, Valdes said. An elementary school will open in 2010 on a site adjacent to the new high school, Valdes said.

The construction of a middle school near the proposed 3,500-home Lake Hutto development southeast of Brandon will open in 2009 to help relieve overcrowding in eastern Hillsborough schools, Valdes said.

Commissioners were concerned about the time frame for building a middle school closer to Plant City. According to the five-year plan, a site for a $9 million middle school is being sought in District 6, which covers Plant City and eastern Hillsborough. The 126,000-square-foot school could open by 2012, according to the plan.

Valdes said renovation projects during the upcoming year to facilities in Plant City will help with overcrowding. A portion of the $316 million budget goes toward 24 countywide remodeling projects, Valdes said.

Renovations to Knights, Springhead, Cork, Walden Lake and Pinecrest elementary schools are expected to be complete by August, officials said. A new wing to Durant High School opened this year to accommodate the school's enrollment of 2,700 students, Valdes said.

There is a plan in place to build classroom additions to Plant City High School, Valdes said. There are about 2,900 students enrolled in Plant City High School, according to the school board. The school's capacity is 2,500.

Commissioners said they were pleased with the presentation by school board officials.

'Any time you come here with a five-year plan and you're spending money in our area, it makes everybody happy,' Mayor Rick Lott said.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 865-4433 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT