Teutopolis Board Getting Design Work for Both Addition and Renovation at High School Building

Citing a desire to make it a "very public process", Teutopolis school board members have hired an architectural firm to do design work on both renovation and new construction at the high school building.

Upchurch and Associates was hired for $140,000 to do design work on both options. Teutopolis Superintendent Bill Fritcher said school officials want to have the design work completed by the end of September.

If new construction is the option chosen, the original 1929 portion of the high school building would be demolished. That's basically the middle part of the building. There are classrooms and J.H. Griffin Gym to the east and the newest portion of the building including classrooms, the library and the school offices to the west. There is still ample room for an addition to the west of the current structure. Fritcher said they've envisioned a 10-room addition.

If the addition is built on the west end, there would need to be provision made for somehow connecting the two building segments that would remain.

A renovation project would involve making the oldest portion of the building ADA-compliant, removing asbestos, and new HVAC to replace the window air conditioners in that area. Fritcher said the roof area in all of that portion would be reviewed, as well.

The other big consideration in the process is how to pay for the project, regardless of whether it's renovation or construction. When the county considered a 1% sales tax in the spring to help finance building improvements, it was rejected countywide. However, the majority of voters in the Teutopolis district voted in favor of the initiative. It has to pass countywide to be enacted. Bonding for the cost of the project is another consideration.