Fallston to get a new school

The Baltimore Sun

The two buildings that house Youth's Benefit Elementary in Fallston will be razed and replaced with a new school, which is expected to open in 2011 with an enrollment of nearly 1,100 students.

After reviewing several options to renovate the existing buildings, one of which dates to 1953, school officials decided for new construction, estimated to cost about $34 million. Harford County has budgeted $1.6 million in the current budget for the final design of the project.

The earliest that construction could begin is next summer, but the lack of public water and sewer on the 26-acre site will probably extend the permitting process, officials said. Groundbreaking will more likely occur in the winter of 2009 with construction completed in about two years.

Building and demolition on the campus along Route 152 will be done in phases to cause minimal disruption to students, officials said.

"What we have now is two unique and different buildings," said Kathleen Sanner, director of planning and construction for county schools. "Both have outlived their life spans."

Officials considered retaining and remodeling the buildings but ultimately rejected that as costly and impractical. A new building with a compact design ultimately will save on operating costs, officials said.

"Replacing the buildings is more efficient," said Thomas L. Fidler Jr., school board president.

Sanner detailed the drawbacks of keeping either existing building.

"If we retain the primary building, we would have to literally gut and completely restructure it," Sanner said. "We would still be locked into the existing size."

Renovating the 30-year-old second building would entail costly structural repairs, including a new roof, electrical system and sprinklers.

"At this point, there is very little to save without major reconstruction," Sanner said. "An all-new building, with classrooms consolidated under one roof, is an easier project to manage. Its expected life span would be 40 to 50 years."

The two-story building would house seven classrooms per grade level, three "swing" rooms to give administrators flexibility as enrollment fluctuates, eight kindergarten and two pre-kindergarten rooms. The plans call for a middle school-sized gymnasium in the center of the building.

"A single building approach is a dream come true," said Ellen G. Tracy, principal. "It has been difficult to make two different buildings into a single school. The phasing of this project allows us to conduct business as usual and keep the children safe."

Youth's Benefit opened in 1953 and has been renovated three times, including the addition of the second building in 1973. Its current enrollment is 1,044, nearly 200 students above its capacity of 870, and the campus includes four portable classrooms.

Estimated enrollment in 2010 is 1,126 but that could change, as construction proceeds on the new Vale Road Elementary, officials said.

mary.gail.hare@baltsun.com

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