District has new use for old campus

School officials want new home for administration building

June 20, 2016 at 5:13 a.m. | Updated June 20, 2016 at 5:17 a.m.

by Jennifer Middleton

Ashdown, Ark., Superintendent Jason Sanders and Dean Lillard, maintenance facilities director, walk through the old Ashdown High School while discussing improvements planed for the upcoming renovation.
Ashdown, Ark., Superintendent Jason Sanders and Dean Lillard, maintenance facilities director, walk through the old Ashdown High School while discussing improvements planed for the upcoming renovation.

Administrators with Ashdown, Ark., School District are taking final steps to repurpose the old high school building as a new administration building. Superintendent Jason Sanders said while the 39,000-square foot facility was not adequate for academic use, it's still solid for administrative space.

"It is a very special building, and it's important to the members of the community," he said. "We feel like that old high school is going to be the best place for us-with everybody in one building."

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The district currently has two administrative offices-one with space for the superintendent and another for support services staff. Sanders said it costs a lot of money to maintain all three buildings, and by consolidating them, the district will save thousands of dollars per year.

Funds for the renovation will come from a 10-year lease purchase nonbonded debt the board approved last spring, Sanders said. The district will make payments on the bond from the general fund.

"That money is to make sure the district has a very professional place of business for district offices," Sanders said. "It's a cost savings. The money we are currently using on the utilities and upkeep and insurance will pay for that over time. We think that the money that we're spending on the renovation, we'll be able to pay for it from the savings. "

He gave a rough estimate of $500,000 for the renovations, which will include upgrades for lighting, flooring, walls, record storage and technology.

"This will be a more efficient, very professional place of business for the district to have more room for those who want to attend board meetings," Sanders said. "Local community groups also need a nice professional place for meetings this would give us the ability to do that."

The old high school building was constructed in the 1954 and used until 2008, when the new high school opened. Since then, it's been used for classroom space, and the attached auditorium is also used by the community for pageants and other events.

The current administration buildings would possibly be sold to local businesses for office or business space, with the revenue from those sales reinvested in the district's general fund to pay the nonbonded debt.

Next week, Sanders will go on a walk-through of the building with architect Craig Boone and construction manager C.R. Crawford to determine final numbers on the project. He said he expects to present those figures to trustees during a special board meeting this month.

"Once they are approved, we will immediately get started," Sanders said. "I'm planning on having that building available for the first board meeting Jan. 17, 2017."

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