Looking ahead at the 2022-2023 budget year, the Macon County Board of Commissioners received an update from LS3P, the architectural firm currently completing a full analysis of renovations to Franklin High School.
While LS3P representatives presented an update on the analysis the firm is undergoing to determine the cost and feasibility of renovating each building on the Franklin High School campus to bring it up to a 50-year standard, the renovation analysis is just a step in the design process.
With significant costs associated with the project, the firm is currently doing due diligence to evaluate the possibility of renovations compared to the new construction of the high school, which is still very much an option. However, to ensure all options are explored, part of the design contract the firm secured with the county, included an analysis of each building in addition to the construction of a new building.
Franklin High School was built in the early 1950s and has had substantial issues over the last decade, with the school board and county commissioner pouring in funding every year to keep the school operational. From new windows to security upgrades like fencing and cameras, every year maintenance projects at Franklin High School take up a significant portion of the school district’s capital outlay funds.
In addition to an analysis of each building, LS3P is also in the process of finalizing an estimated $14 million design plan for renovating the Franklin High School football field to address drainage issues that have plagued the field for years. With a creek running under the property, the district has always battled flooding and ground repairs, and maintenance issues. The architectural’s design plans will include a complete renovation and rebuild to fix the underlying issues and then bring the field up to meet the county’s expectations.
Once LS3P completes its analysis and provides its findings to the county, the county will then move forward with funding options and future proposals to address the need for a new Franklin High School facility. With both the renovation or rebuild estimated to cost well over $50 million, county commissioners are tasked with the hefty burden of securing funding for such a substantial project while also maintaining the other services and programs operating across Macon County.
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