BY RACHEL SHARPE
Cooper City High School is set to receive a campus makeover. Plans for CCHS’s new building are underway and construction is expected to begin between January 9th and February 6th of 2012.
According to Principal Wendy Doll, the project is awaiting permit submittal.
An artist's rendering of what Cooper City High will eventually look like after renovations are complete. The next phase of that plan is scheduled to break ground in January 2012.
“In order to proceed with the construction, the Skanska corporation needs a notice to proceed from the school board,” Doll said.
The 112,397 square foot building will be constructed in an L-shape that will face 90th Avenue. CCHS’s original building, Building 1, was constructed 40 years ago in 1971, making CCHS one of the four original high schools in the district.
“It was determined by the district about eight years ago that the efficiency of the original building had run its course,” Doll said.
With roof leaks, inefficient air conditioning units and water intrusion, Building Operations Supervisor Jamie Curran says it would cost more to repair the old building than to construct a new one.
“The life cycle of this structure was never supposed to be 40 years,” Curran said. “A new building has been long overdue.”
The three-story building will include a new science wing, renovated childcare and automotive facilities, business labs and 60-70 general classrooms. There will also be a centralized courtyard for the students, in addition to a new main office, student affairs and guidance office. There will also be a major increase in technology. Each classroom in the new building will be equipped with promethean boards, sound systems and Epson projectors. In addition, the new building will maintain the safety of the students, with a single point of entry.
The construction of the new building has brought about concerns regarding student and faculty parking. Once the construction begins, parking will be severely limited. The first 200 students in the senior parking lot will be relocated to the Cooper City Church of God, while the students who received half year decals will lose their spots for the remainder of the year. Many of the teachers will be temporarily relocated to the former junior lot, between the 3400 building and the baseball field.
“Once the construction starts, we will have to reconfigure our traffic flow, including parent drop off and pick up and student parking,” Doll said.
According to Curran, when Building 1 is demolished, there will be ample parking for teachers and staff, with parking in the front and back of the school. The entire project is projected to be completed by August 2013.
