Construction on Another New School in Chesterfield Breaks Ground

Chesterfield County (Va.) Schools broke ground on a new school in the Matoaca District. It’s the seventh such groundbreaking of a new elementary school in the past two years.

Chesterfield School“Look over my shoulder and you see the white balloons? There’s the front door Mary, of your brand new school,” said School Board Chair Rob Thompson gesturing to Matoaca Elementary School Principal Mary Thrift. The new school is replacing one that is over 80-years old. It’s being built on the same site as the Matoaca Middle School west Campus. Besides the previous seven elementary schools, four more are on the docket to be built in the coming year. Those include Crestwood, Ettrick, Harrowgate and Reams. By the end of the construction plan, each magisterial district will have at least one new elementary school within its borders.

All the new school construction is part of the 2013 School Bond Referendum. That $304-million bond allowed either renovation or construction of new schools. The school board hopes to draft a new bond referendum for 2020. According to Deputy County Administrator for Finance Matt Harris, early estimates have that bond at $230 million.

The new Matoaca Elementary school is scheduled to house over 700 students and open in Fall of 2020.

 

 

Featured

  • TCU Marks Campus Expansion Milestone

    Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark progress on a major campus expansion effort including four new residential facilities and a five-story parking garage, according to a news release.

  • Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

    Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.