The presentation of building assessments for each school wraps up Phase 1 of our Facilities Planning work.

During the meetings, Brent Wilcox, an architect from Moody Nolan, presented an overview of the physical assessments of each building, such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing, lighting, doors and windows, and drainage.

The next part of the presentation focused on an educational analysis of the building, using diagrams of the Middle School/High School building as an example. The diagrams showed circulation, daylight availability, room size, and more. Following the presentation part of the sessions, attendees were invited to view assessment diagrams for each building. Each building’s principal was available to answer questions.

This part of the meeting also focused on the differences in learning options and opportunities today compared to when the buildings were built decades ago, and also compared the size of each school’s site area to what the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission recommends for today’s school facilities.

Toward the end of the formal presentation, Bexley Schools Treasurer/CFO Kyle Smith explained that bond issuances are how schools typically pay for facilities-related projects. Bexley Schools last issued $27 million in bonds for school projects in 2000. That debt expires in 2027, he said. Mr. Smith also discussed how millage is determined in property taxes, as well as the cost of an example project and how inflation and other issues affect projected costs. The example numbers were developed by our architects.

To better understand the assessment information, information on bond issuances, and example costs, you are encouraged to watch the video of the Community Engagement Session.

January 23, 2024, marked Day 1 of Bexley Schools’ facilities planning process and nearly 80 members of the Bexley community, including parents/guardians and staff members, attended our first community engagement sessions featuring our architectural design partners.

The schools’ architectural design and facilities assessment partners were introduced during both sessions and the principal partners of Perkins&Will and Moody Nolan were introduced to the audiences. Perkins&Will and Moody Nolan have collaborated on numerous school projects over the past decade and have worked together on more than 1.5 million square feet of educational learning spaces.

Steve Turckes, principal at Perkins&Will, explained that the planning process will have three parts, including the assessment phase, which we’re in now. Phase two and three will focus on options and decisions. Phase three will conclude the early part of 2025. “We are really at the very beginning,” Mr. Turckes said. “We don’t walk into this with any preconceived notion of what’s going to come out at the other side of it. We’ve done this process with any number of school districts and clients here in the U.S. and abroad. I have a lot of faith in the process that a good outcome and one uniquely tuned to Bexley will come out the other side of this.”

Watch Video of Our First Community Engagement Session