New Construction
Nevada District Approves New Elementary School Construction
Officials from the Nye Country School District recently approved the construction of a new, $15.2-million elementary school in Tonopah, Nev. The 26,000-square-foot space will replace the existing elementary school and move to a 5.5-acre site near the city’s high school.
Local news reports that the move will effectively lead to a centralized academic area for students ages PreK–12 in the town of Tonopah. Tonopah Elementary School currently has an enrollment of 163 students.
The district is partnering with the Las Vegas-based design firm Knit on the new Tonopah Elementary School’s design. “We had two public information meetings where we solicited input from the community,” said Mark McGinty, principal at Knit. These meetings, as well as an online poll conducted by the district, revealed majority support for relocating the school to a new facility. “They want a new school,” he said.
Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in January 2023 and is expected to last about 12 months. McGinty did comment that the integrative design of the two schools will account for the increased traffic flow and will include separate drop-off lanes for elementary and high school students. There will be another dedicated spot for school bus pickup and drop-off.
“Keeping the buses, parents and students separated is the No. 1 goal,” he said.
About the Author
Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].