County officials can begin talks with contractors on new high school

A new high school in the north end of Manatee County continued to take shape during the School Board of Manatee County’s meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Board members gave county officials permission to enter into negotiations with Gilbane Construction to oversee the construction management and SchenkelSchultz for the architecture of the new school. Both firms are based out of Sarasota. Florida state law prevents boards from hiring local firms.

The school, which will be situated on more than 100 acres of land near the intersection of Martha and Eerie roads in Parrish, will accommodate 2,100 students but can be expanded if the population continues to rise.

The “core” areas of the school, including the cafeteria, administration, gym and media center, are being designed to accommodate a student population of 2,525. That way, officials can increase capacity down the road simply by adding classroom space.

The school district already owned 50 acres of land on the site and finalized the purchase of an additional 50 acres for $2.2 million earlier this month.

Board Chairman Charlie Kennedy said concerns about traffic will be tackled as a joint effort between the county and the school district.

This story was originally published December 13, 2016 at 10:24 PM with the headline "County officials can begin talks with contractors on new high school."