BERLIN – County leaders said this week they remained committed to building a new Showell Elementary School in spite of their failure to approve a concept plan last week.
At their Sept. 20 meeting, the Worcester County Commissioners failed to pass a motion in support of the concept plan for the new school and failed to pass a motion to put the issue back on the agenda for their Oct. 4 meeting. Nevertheless, the county issued a press release reaffirming the commissioners’ support of a new school this week.
“Because there’s been a lot of buzz in the media regarding plans to construct a new Showell Elementary School (SES), the commissioners want to assure the public that they remain committed to constructing an affordable new school that is attractive, safe and affords a climate that is conducive to learning,” the release reads.
Last October, the commissioners approved a pro forma cost estimate of $37,181,000 for a new 90,000-square-foot school to replace the aging, outgrown facility on Route 589. Though original estimates by the school system put the cost of a new facility at $54 million, the commissioners looked into regional school construction costs and set the figure they would approve at $37 million.
Members of the Worcester County Board of Education approved a concept plan for SES created by Becker Morgan Group at their meeting in August. Last week, they presented that plan to the commissioners. It showed a 94,866-square-foot facility that would be built at a cost of $45,967,959. According to Brad Hastings of Becker Morgan, that cost was an average of three estimates his company had acquired. He said that with an estimated $7.5 million contribution from the state, the county’s share of the cost would be $38,428,959.
Commissioner Joe Mitrecic made a motion to approve the concept plan following the presentation but it failed with a 3-3 vote. Commissioner Chip Bertino made a motion to have education officials return for the Oct. 4 meeting so that all seven commissioners could consider the plan. That motion failed 3-3 as well, but this week’s press release from the county states that school system officials will be present Oct. 4.
“A great deal of information was presented, and postponing discussions for two weeks gives the commissioners the time needed to properly digest the information,” said Jim Bunting, president of the commissioners. “We are proud of the Worcester County education system and remain committed to building a SES that builds on the unparalleled educational opportunities we offer our youth.”
In the past 20 years, county government has funded a new Stephen Decatur Middle School, a renovated Stephen Decatur High School, a new Ocean City Elementary School, a new Worcester Technical High School, a renovated Snow Hill High School and a renovated Pocomoke High School, the press release reported.
“In addition to school funding, the county has shouldered a debt service that has increased from $2.4 million a year in FY05 to $10.7 million for FY17 to fund these school construction projects…,” the county’s press release states. “The county commissioners appreciate all the support from the communities as we work together to make our school system the very best in the state to provide our children with a bright future.”
