Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Sussex Tech to Build New School Instead of Spending on High Maintenance Costs

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 08/27/19

After spending millions of dollars over the years on renovating and repairing a more than half-century old school building, Sussex Technical School District’s school board unanimously voted to build a new Sussex Technical High School in Delaware. After a five-month independent review, consultants ABHA/BSA+A made recommendations for major improvements including:

  • essential security upgrades;
  • improved traffic flow along U.S. 9 and on campus; and
  • improved, upgraded, and flexible space for technical area classrooms to accommodate industry-standard equipment and technologies.

The district considered three options for improvements. The cost of building a new school at $150.5 million was more affordable than the other two options — renovating the oldest sections of the campus while continuing repairs on the newer sections or renovating the entire campus. The plan aims to bolster Sussex County’s career-technical education programs for both high school students and adult learners.

“Sussex County taxpayers trust us to be good stewards of their money, and building a new school saves taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.” said District Superintendent Stephen Guthrie in a press release on the school’s website. “Over the last year, under new leadership, we have put a renewed emphasis on our core career-technical programs to better serve Sussex County,”

The main high school building was built in 1960 with other sections built in 1964, 1970, 1995, 2000 and 2008. Over the last few years, Sussex Tech has spent about $14 million on maintenance and improvements including repairs to roofs, renovations of student career-technical areas, security installations and an HVAC overhaul.

“Those costs will rise as the campus continues to age. Our engineering consultant has concluded that renovation is only a Band-Aid solution – paying good money for what is only a temporary fix,” Guthrie said.

The current school is about 294,000 square feet, including the main building and about 20 outbuildings. The new building would be about 313,000 square feet. The building would have a capacity for 1,600 students to accommodate growing student interest.

Specific plans and designs for the new building and campus layout would be designed after the state approves the project.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.