Funding Expedited for Spring Ridge Renovation
The St. Mary’s Board of County Commissioners approved $250,000 to begin design work for the $19 million renovation of Spring Ridge Middle School.
The 8th grade pod of the school was damaged as the result of a fire April 25, 2013.
Delegate John Bohanan brought Superintendent of Maryland Schools Lillian Lowery and Director for Public School Construction David Lever to Spring Ridge Middle School to survey the damage the next week. The state officials toured the school and surveyed the damage with local officials.
By moving $250,000 for the project into the current budget year, design work can begin immediately. The board of education, next, moved its renovation funding forward from fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2014, which begins June 1, 2013. The commissioners responded by ensuring $10.2 million in funding will be in place in FY2014. The FY2014 budget is scheduled for approval on May 28.
Under the new plan, the Board of Education will seek state planning approval of the project in December 2013, a necessary initial step to secure state funding of about $8.6 million. The Board of Education informed the commissioners that they would plan to start the construction in April 2014, with completion slated for December 2015.
