B-C-S schools: Building addition groundbreaking to be held June 2

A groundbreaking ceremony for a new building addition in the Benton-Carroll-Salem district is scheduled for June 2 at 2 p.m.
The ceremony will be held on the campus of the R.C. Waters Elementary School, E. Water St., Oak Harbor, where an addition of about 45,000 square feet for an intermediate school is planned.
Guy Parmigian, district superintendent, said 16 new classrooms are planned as well as a music/band room, gymnasium, special education facilities, and a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math room.
The cost is approximately $14 million, Parmigian said, adding the cost isn’t requiring any additional property tax millage or a bond issue.
Construction is expected to be completed by November, 2023.
Starting with the next school year, seventh grade students will attend class at Oak Harbor High School. Currently, Oak Harbor Middle School houses grades four through seven.
Parmigian said after the addition is completed, grades four, five, and six will comprise the Oak Harbor Intermediate school.
A smaller student population made the move possible.
With the addition of grade seven students, the administration is projecting the high school will have a population of approximately 686 students starting with the 2022-2023 school year.
In the 2021-2022 school year, there are 546 students in grades 8-12.
In the 1992-1993 school year when Oak Harbor High School housed only grades 9-12, there was a head count of 624 students. During the 1978-1979 school year, just a few years after Oak Harbor High School was constructed, the building housed 753 students in grades 9-12
Renovations are also planned for the R.C. Waters building - which houses grades K-3 - including a new heating/cooling system that is set to be completed by August 1.

Bid deadline
The district will receive contract bids for the addition to the R.C. Waters building until June 21 at 1 p.m.
A pre-bid meeting is set for June 2 at 3 p.m.
Garmann/Miller & Associates is the architect for the project.