Recommendation: Close Oak Ridge's Linden school, build another, expand 5; cost $69.5M

With Oak Ridge's population growing, leaders of the city school system are recommending that a new elementary school be constructed on the west end and additions and renovations made to three of the elementary schools and two middle schools.

The recommendation also includes the eventual closing of the current Linden Elementary School because the current school site would be difficult - and expensive - to expand or become the site of a new school.

It also includes returning the fifth grade to the elementary schools and making Robertsville and Jefferson middle schools into junior highs again, holding sixth- through eighth-grades. Redistricting throughout the system would also be required to balance the student population sizes at the schools and relieve the new school building.

View the presentation here.

The potential cost: $69.5 million, which doesn't include buying land for a new school on the west end of Oak Ridge, where the population growth is projected to continue. It also includes keeping to a timeline that begins with acquiring the land this year, completing the design and putting out the new school construction project for bid by 2025. Delays in meeting the timeline could increase the construction costs by 5% a year, according to Cope Architecture, which is a contractor for the school system.

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch advised those officials studying the projections and needs to "seriously think about" a land swap of city-owned land for the new school, rather than buying property. In response to a question, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said no new school site has been chosen.

Why does Oak Ridge need a new school, expansion of other schools?

Officials with Oak Ridge Schools informed Oak Ridge City Council and city government administrators of the projected need for more space at a joint meeting last year. A similar meeting with the same groups, including the city board of education, city council, and involved contractors, was held again this year, Feb. 20, at the School Administration Building.

Borchers presented a PowerPoint presentation showing the student and city population projections and what is being recommended by a joint group made up of officials from the school system and city government called the Enrollment Committee. He said the city schools have a "three-year window" before the elementary schools are out of space. This is based on an average of 20 students per classroom. That 20-1 ratio is based on a combination of state law and Oak Ridge Schools recommendations aimed at being beneficial to students.

Key highlights of the presentation

• Based on current growth rates and existing or planned housing projects and new industries, Oak Ridge could add 2,000 new households by the year 2030.

• 13 relatively new or expanding housing developments are projected to increase the city's population by nearly 5,000 people, to a total of about 38,417.

• Oak Ridge Schools' enrollment is 5,064, which is higher than expected. It's up from 4,657 in 2019. Linden and Willow Brook elementary schools, on the west end of the city, are at the biggest risks of running out of space because of an increasing student enrollment, Borchers said.

Recommendations from the school system and Enrollment Committee

• Complete the new Linden Elementary School, which will be a kindergarten through fifth-grade school for up to 800 students, by 2027 at a cost of roughly $32 million.

• Also by 2027, renovate and make additions to Willow Brook to increase the student capacity to 600. Cost estimate $6.5 million.

• By 2028, renovate and add additions to Glenwood and Woodland to increase Glenwood's capacity to 600 students and Woodland to 800. Estimated cost $12 million. Also by 2028, shift fifth grade from middle schools to junior highs and redistrict as needed.

• By 2032, make additions and renovations to Jefferson. Add two-story, 10-classroom addition, a two-story addition for expanded administration and addition for guidance/conference; expand cafeteria and add roof garden above, cover courtyard for multipurpose space, upgrade and address code deficiencies. Cost estimate: $8 million.

• By 2033, make additions and renovations to Robertsville. Add two-story, eight-classroom addition; renovate vacated spaces for expanded administration; expand cafeteria, upgrade infrastructure and address code deficiencies. Cost estimate: $69.5 million.

Who is on the Enrollment Committee?

Why not keep Linden and build a fifth elementary?

Two words: The cost.

Operating five elementary schools would cost approximately $33.3 million over a 20-year period compared with that of operating four, according to Borchers' presentation. That includes staffing an additional school, utilities, and additional administration for the school.

In addition, the current Linden school would have to be expanded for more students, according to school officials and Cope Architecture. The land around the school - an estimated 21 acres, the mayor said - has unsuitable soil and depressions and significant site improvements would be needed, Cope architect Peter Ludman said. He mentioned that the area is prone to karst or sinkhole problems. The site is also challenging for parents picking up or dropping students off at school, school buses, and emergency vehicles. Making significant changes and renovations at the school, built in 1968, would require improvements to the utility infrastructure and to make the school uphold to current building code requirements and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible.

This "would require gutting the building down to the support structure," according to the presentation document.

What now?

As Borchers told parents of students in Oak Ridge Schools by email after the joint board-council work session, "Our immediate ask of the city of Oak Ridge is to acquire land on the west side of the city and budget approximately $2.2 million dollars to create architectural design of a new school."

At the meeting, he said they would also continue to monitor the latest information on student enrollment and enrollment projections. The school system has also contracted with RSP Associates, described as a leading K-12 school planning company that does in-depth building capacity and student enrollment analysis.

"We're going to have to figure out how to pay for it," said council member Chuck Hope. He said students would always be Oak Ridge's top priority, but these needs would have to be balanced with the city's other needs and services for the population.

Information on the plans for the student growth can be found at: www.ortn.edu/growth/.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @ridgernewsed.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Officials ask for new Oak Ridge elementary school, expansions