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New school gets 'extras' after all
By ROBERT KING
© St. Petersburg Times, BROOKSVILLE -- For the longest time, it looked as though the county's fourth high school would have to be built without a band room or a theater. That prospect had Tizzy Schoelles, who will be the school's principal when it opens two years from now, trying to figure out where her musicians could possibly practice without disrupting the whole campus. Now, it appears, she won't have to worry. With time running out for design changes, the School Board decided Tuesday to include a band room and a theater in the school's first phase of construction, which begins in earnest next month. "At least I'll have a place for the band to play," Schoelles said. At a price of about $3.7-million, the band room and theater have spent the better part of a year as potential add-ons for the $33.8-million high school, which will emphasize vocational and technical training. Hopes for the fine arts became contingent on the cash generated by the half-cent sales tax that Hernando County voters approved in 1998. With a limited life span, the tax expires Dec. 31, 2003. As the board's final July 3 vote on the design approaches, officials say they are confident now the tax will generate at least $4-million more than originally expected. And they expect another $1-million in interest from money already banked for the project. Such money can't be applied to the district's day-to-day operating budget, which has been in turmoil for the past year. Had the sales tax revenue been lower, the board would have been forced to put the band room and theater on hold indefinitely. And officials say that could have added to its cost given the inevitable inflation in the construction industry and the fact an addition would be less attractive to bidders than the bigger project. There is a less tangible benefit, too. Superintendent John Sanders said it would be much harder to persuade students to leave other county high schools for Nature Coast Tech, as the school is to be called, if there are no band, chorus or drama programs. For similar reasons, officials hope they can include game-ready athletic fields (with lights, turf and irrigation) in the original construction. As it stands, the base cost pays only for a basketball gymnasium and practice fields for outdoor sports. Including game-ready soccer, baseball, softball and tennis facilities would add $1-million to the price. That would also cover a game-ready football field, though another $300,000 would be needed for stadium bleachers and $350,000 beyond that for a running track. Without them, Nature Coast's athletic teams will have to play their "home" games at other campuses in the county. But School Board members said Tuesday they must be convinced the money will be available. At present, Sanders said he expects the board will have $39-million to spend. And it would take nearly every dollar to pay for the band room, theater and game-ready athletic fields. - Robert King covers education in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6127.
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