Columbia Local Schools Masterplan

As we are all aware, Columbia Township has been experiencing rapid and unprecedented growth. CLSD is committed to a proactive approach to facilities planning, looking toward the future with an eye toward a fiscally responsible solution that meets the needs of all stakeholders. Since 2018, the Columbia Local School District has engaged Forecast 5 Consulting to assist us in gathering demographic data and making predictions that will help in determining the future footprint of our institutions, while keeping the financial impact on community residents to a minimum.

The Administration and Board of Education have been working on a Masterplan District Expansion that will account for the district’s growth while meeting academic, athletic and extracurricular needs. The BOE employed the services of FMD Architects to complete this plan. FMD spearheaded the construction of the K-4 addition completed in 2012 and remains intimately familiar with district needs.

CLSD and the BOE began by examining whether to renovate and expand the current high school or to build a new high school at our K-8 northern campus. FMD and their team of civil, mechanical, plumbing, and structural engineers, along with representatives from our maintenance group, performed a complete infrastructure analysis of our current high school facility. An evaluation concluded that current infrastructure would support high school expansion. This was welcome news and led to the inclusion of high school renovation in the Masterplan District Expansion.

High School Renovation Priorities Include:

• An entrance to the building that will meet current safety standards and specifications.
• Construction of 6 new classrooms to meet the anticipated increase in enrollment and added curriculum. (Two of these classrooms will have a moveable divider wall to easily convert them into a single large classroom and community space.)
• Conversion of the existing high school gymnasium to a multi-purpose facility including the addition of approximately 4,300 square feet on the east side for a new stage with associated spaces to support our fine arts department. Movable tiered seating will be provided for concerts and plays. The gym would remain for practices and community use.
• A high school administrative office suite adjacent to the new secure entry (approximately 3,500 square feet).
• Renovation of spaces within the existing building including expansion of the cafeteria including kitchen cooler space, renovation of current restrooms, replacement of current windows and floors, construction of additional restrooms, and creation of a student study space.
• New high school regulation sized competition gymnasium for indoor CHS athletic teams and for community use, built at the K-8 site.

Increases in enrollment (and projected growth) also pose issues at the K-8 facility. Currently, a major scheduling challenge occurs because the undersized cafeteria and a shared gymnasium are used to meet the daily needs of over 700 students. This issue, paired with the need for a regulation sized high school gymnasium and an additional K-4 gymnasium, led to the decision to construct one new Athletic and Community complex at our K-8 campus. This solution eliminates the need for constructing two gymnasiums (one at each campus). The new Athletic Complex is approximately 33,725 square foot regulation facility with seating for 900 fans and includes ample event parking. It will serve as the district’s gymnasium for K-4 students, high school basketball, wrestling, volleyball teams, and youth organizations.

Details of the Two-Story Athletic Facilities Include:

• An isolated entrance into the K-4 building to be used during non- school hours, creating a separate secure building.
• Dedicated wrestling area on a mezzanine overlooking the competition gym.
• Two home locker rooms and a separate visitor locker room.
• Offices for coaches, officials, trainer and staff.
• Restrooms and concessions with easy access to serve fans for high school baseball, softball, and youth soccer and other events. The concessions will have openings to directly serve patrons on the building's interior and exterior.
• An approximately 2,000 square foot Community Event space for fundraisers, youth sports meetings, and athletic award ceremonies and banquets, with direct access to the lobby for larger events.

The Masterplan at the North Campus includes the construction of new high school baseball, softball fields, and a multi-purpose regulation athletic field for elementary and middle school students and youth football and soccer organizations.  

Additional features of the K-8 Building Expansion Include:

• Seven new classrooms addressing anticipated growth in elementary, kindergarten, special needs, and Raider Preschool enrollment.
• Three new band/music rooms, properly separated from the other standard classrooms.
• Two new offices and a teacher's work room.
• A new 4,750 square foot cafeteria and warming kitchen.
• Separate playgrounds for Copopa/CMS students.
• Renovate the CMS classroom floors, K-8 Cafeteria and CMS courtyard.

Implementation of the Masterplan Expansion is $38.5 million, which has an estimated tax increase of $14.23 per month for each $100,000 of home value. This comprehensive plan is fiscally responsible, positively affects every student, and proactively addresses predicted growth, supporting the school district and community for decades to come.

Below is a copy of the site plans. All plans are subject to change as we begin receiving feedback from our community partners.

Thank you for your continued support of CLSD. We hope to see you on August 14th at 7:00 pm at CHS as we introduce the future of the Columbia Local Schools!