Belpre School Board Weighs In on Construction Plans at Thursday Meeting
BELPRE, Ohio (WTAP) — During Thursday’s meeting, the Belpre School Board talked about the construction plans for the new school.
Since the school levy has been approved, they will start by seeking investors to purchase bonds. The funds gathered from the levy taxes will be utilized to pay back the bonds that have been issued.
Meanwhile, they will search for both an architect and a construction manager at-risk. The architect will create the designs for the new school, whereas the construction manager at-risk will provide a fixed price estimate for supplies and labor, coordinating with subcontractors to secure all necessary materials.
The cost of the materials will remain constant. Should these materials fail to match the budgetary constraints, the proposal will be declined, prompting them to search for alternatives that fit within the specified price range. In cases where adjusting the pricing becomes necessary, the decision to proceed with such changes would require approval through a board vote.
By the end of this summer, they aim to identify the architect and contractor who are vulnerable. Selling the bonds is scheduled for early autumn. The design phase will commence in late fall and continue through the beginning of next year. Groundbreaking has been set for fall 2026. Substantial construction efforts will begin as soon as winter ends in 2027. It’s anticipated that the new school will open in July 2028.
Jeff Greenley, the Superintendent of Belpre City Schools, is thrilled to initiate the construction process.
“Thank you to the voters of Belpre for casting your ballots last week. It was both an honor and a privilege to have completed this project. The city has been considering this initiative since 1997. Today marks a significant milestone for Belpre, Ohio. We’re enthusiastic about the potential economic growth. These new facilities represent a vital component of our community’s infrastructure,” stated Greenley.
Apart from discussing construction updates, they also released the Ohio Test outcomes for Mathematics and Science. Both subjects show an improvement, whereas high school scores remain unchanged. The results for English Language Arts (ELA) are yet to be finalized.
Christina Caldwell, Samantha Reisig, and Betsy Tornes have submitted their resignations. Meanwhile, Stephen Snider and Pam Lowry have chosen to retire.
Spot an mistake in our report? Drop us an email at
clicking here!