Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Arkansas District Begins $140M Renovation, Construction Project

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/12/22

A $140-million renovation and construction project has already begun at three schools within Springdale Public Schools in Springdale, Ark. Central Junior High School and Southwest Junior High School will receive total rebuilds, while Springdale High School will receive significant renovations, according to local news.

The three legacy schools are among the oldest in the district. The facility for Central Junior High was built in 1976; Southwest Junior High in 1967; and one building on the Springdale High School campus was built in 1952, according to the district website.

“When you look at some of these facilities, they’ve been around a long time, and they have served well and they’ve done a good job, but it was time…it’s time to modernize. It’s time to create more space. It’s time to evolve facilities the same way education’s evolving,” said Trent Jones, the district’s Director of Communications.

The junior high schools will retain certain components, like their existing gyms, as artifacts to memorialize the school’s history.

“We’ve connected the past and the present and the future by just making sure that we take different kinds of artifacts and pieces of history, and we continue it on through this construction,” Jones said.

Springdale High School has already seen its BLATT building (or “Flat Building”) demolished. Its old gymnasium will also be torn down in favor of a new Physical Education complex to be built next to the football stadium.

Previously, local news reported that the Springdale School Board approved the purchase of 12 acres of land in May 2022 for Central Junior high’s construction. That story also reported that the project will be funded largely through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

Renderings for all three schools are available on the Springdale Public Schools website.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Western Kentucky University, Gilbane Announce “Elevate WKU” Partnership

    Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., recently announced that it has reached the financial close on a on a public-private partnership (P3) with Gilbane Development, according to a news release.

  • Bradley Company Highlights Hygiene Tips for Global Handwashing Day

    In honor of Global Handwashing Day on October 15, commercial washrooms and emergency safety solutions provider Bradley Company recently released the results of its 2026 Healthy Handwashing Survey. The findings indicate simple, practical steps that facilities managers can take to encourage good hygiene on campus.

  • Washington State University Debuts New Engineering Hall

    Washington State University recently celebrated a dedication ceremony for the new Schweitzer Engineering Hall on its Pullman campus in Pullman, Wash., according to university news. The facility measures 66,288 square feet, and its completion marks the first milestone in a larger university effort to modernize the engineering and design district.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.