Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 21, 1993 TAG: 9310210133
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KAREN BARNES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MONTVALE LENGTH: Medium
Safety concerns with the oil tanks that surround the existing school and a need for expanded facilities have prompted a committee of residents and public officials to begin interviewing five of the 15 contractors who submitted proposals for the project.
The property, 197 acres of prime real estate across from Butterfield's Golf Cart Sales, is not for sale, but the landowner has agreed to work with the county and consider granting it an option on the parcel.
Bedford School Division Superintendent John Kent said no details are final yet, but he hopes to have the new school open within three years. "I'd feel really good if we got in by the fall of '96," he said.
The Board of Supervisors will pay for the land in return for an agreement to let the county use portions of the lot. The school would occupy only 30 of the 197 acres, leaving room for county projects such as a public library or park. The lot includes around 1,200 feet of road frontage, which also will be shared.
Kent predicted the School Board would receive a recommendation from the committee by December. The cost and design of the new school would then be determined.
Montvale Elementary houses 288 students in the first through sixth grades. The building, erected in 1930, is in need of repairs. Kent said the improvements would be expensive.
"If we were to stay here, we'd have to spend some money," he said. "It needs a new roof, and the windows are old wood-case windows, which would have to be replaced with vinyl." He estimated these two projects would run close to $1 million.
The new facility would accommodate more students. "We're looking at a school to handle 400 students," Kent said. Almost 300 new students enter Bedford schools each year, he said.
One feature of the old school - the "gymcafetorium" - will be redesigned in the new building. One room in the current building serves three purposes - gymnasium, cafeteria and auditorium - and is surrounded by classrooms. In the new facility, the cafeteria and auditorium may be combined, but a separate gymnasium will be constructed.
"Kids should be able to make noise in the gym," Kent said.
Stewartsville Elementary was refurbished in 1991 as part of a system-wide improvement initiative that now will focus on Montvale Elementary. "We've rebuilt every other school, and now it's their turn," Kent said.
After students are roaming the halls of the new school, the School Board will turn over control of the abandoned building to the Board of Supervisors, which will decide its fate.
by CNB