EDMONTON — The location of Metcalfe County’s new middle school was announced Monday night during the board of education meeting.

The new school, which will be a two-story facility large enough for about 400 students, will sit adjacent to Metcalfe County High School.

The Initial plans called for new middle school to be joined to the high school, but now they will only be connected via a covered walkway.

“[When] the school facilities committee met a couple of years ago, it was approved to connect the middle school to the high school. At that time there wasn’t a lot of discussion about how that was to be, but the concept was to be able to share as much facility space as possible,” said Steve Thompson, school board chairman.

The site elevation, however, did not make it feasible to connect the two buildings. Instead the two schools will possibly share an auditorium and a band room, which Thompson said would be a money-saving measure.

“They will share a band room. They each will have their own gymnasium, their own lunch room and there is will be an auditorium that will be shared [which] will be part of the new middle school,” said Pat Hurt, superintendent. “What this placement of the middle school does is afford sharing of classrooms and courses.”

Design plans for the building are in the early stages, she said, but added that the school board felt it could do more with a two-story building with the money it has rather than constructing a single-story building.

The district is in need of a new middle school because of the lack of handicap accessibility it can offer students.

The more than 50-year old school underwent several additions over the years and therefore has multiple levels with many steps. The school also has asbestos in the glue securing tile flooring and a lack of hot water along with other problems.

The school board met with Gary Scott and Associates of Frankfort, the architect for the project on March 11 in a working session.

“He did say the core drilling samples showed a good possibility it was the best site as far as the structural ground underneath,” Thompson said.

The school board is able to construct a new middle school due the district being very frugal.

“Our bonding capacity, plus our ability to save money, … gives us the capacity to sell bonds to pay for it,” Hurt said. “Last year it showed in our budget that we had 30 percent over our contingency, but it was tied to this building project. Now we’ve actually committed that to a BG-1 [building and ground permit] so all the cash on hand, all the bonding capacity together gives us enough to build the new middle school.”

The school district has a bonding capacity of $11.3 million. In September the school board voted in 2009 to take a 4 percent increase in tax revenue compared to 2008. The tax increase is should generate about $92,812 in additional revenue for the district, less $3,712 for the cost of collections for a total of $89,100. State law allows any school district to provide a special fund for the purchase of construction sites for new schools, physical education or athletic facilities. It also permits districts to create such a special fund for the major alteration, enlargement or the equipping of existing buildings and athletic facilities.

The school has set aside 5.7 cents per $100 assessed value from the tax rate to generate revenue to pay for the construction. The monies garnered from the tax revenue increase will be matched with about $90,000 from the school district’s General Fund to be the equivalent of a taxable nickel, which the school board was hoping the state legislature will equalize the board’s contribution. Although it does not appear in the current house budget.

District officials were hopeful that the school district would appear on a list of schools to receive state money for the construction of a new elementary school; something she says the district desperately needs.

“We have two more category five schools that we don’t have funds to support. Every ounce of funding we have is committed to the middle school project,” she said.

District officials learned late last week that while the district’s name was on the list at one time. State Rep. Jamie Comer, R-Tompkinsville, stated it was deleted due to how he voted in regards to tax legislation.

It is still possible the district could receive some state money for a new school when the state Senate passes its version of the budget.

Hurt said she has not heard anything since last week about any possible state money for the project, and said she just keeps hoping for the best that if there is a project the district will be on the list for a new elementary school.