GENOA, Ark. - The school district here has started construction on a new junior high school that is slated to open in August of 2022.
Genoa Central School District Superintendent Garry Jameson said they are in the beginning stages of construction on the school, which will be located directly south of the Genoa High School football field.
A construction schedule has not been posted yet, but Jameson said the target date for finishing is May of 2022, and they will look to open the school's doors a few months after that. The construction began on Oct. 8.
The McDougal Group will be handling construction.
Mark Bailey, with Bailey Architecture, PLLC, designed the building.
Bailey said the 65,830-square-foot building will feature a full-sized gymnasium, 12 general education classrooms, two science labs, two computer labs, a special education classroom, cafetorium, media center, health center and fully-equipped kitchen.
The gym seats 1,400 people and will have dressing rooms. The cafetorium is a hybrid between a cafeteria and a performing arts center. There will also be administrative offices.
The project is estimated to cost approximately $12.6 million. It's being funded by the state of Arkansas and the district through a partnership program, where they both contribute to the expenses.
The state recognized a need for an additional school after analyzing the district's annual master plan.
"This thing's been in the works for a long time," Bailey said. "It's not what you would typically see for a small district like this. It's a big building."