Exciting progress is underway on Belpre City School's building project, with a major step completed last week and several more set to take place over the coming weeks.
Last week, the School Board conducted interviews with architectural firms and at its board meeting last Thursday, announced that Fanning Howey was selected as the Architectural Firm to design the building. Residents may be familiar with Fanning Howey as they are the firm that conducted the prebond meetings with the community and created the renderings that were used for the bond campaign. The next day, bids were received for the construction manager at risk — the firm that will oversee and carry out the actual building process. We received four bids which are being reviewed and scored with three finalists to be selected for formal interviews in August, with a final decision and announcement expected at the Board's August meeting. At that meeting, the Board also signed the ELPP Agreement with the OFCC which it will entertain during its August 2025 meeting for formal approval of the square footage and funding credit for Phase I of the project.
Behind the scenes, significant work is being done to secure funding for the project. Treasurer Lance Erlwein has been instrumental in preparing for the upcoming bond sale. In late July, district representatives will travel to Chicago to meet with Moody’s to receive a bond rating. Once rated, we anticipate that the bonds will go to market in August, with a closing anticipated in September. Once the closing occurs, the district will receive a lump sum check for the funds and will be ready to move forward with the next phases of the project.
Now that the design firm has been selected, design work is scheduled to begin this Fall. Community input will play a key role in shaping elements of the design, and opportunities for public engagement will be shared as they arise. Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for opportunities to engage in the process.
Looking further ahead, residents can expect to see some site activity and a groundbreaking ceremony in Fall 2026, with full-scale construction beginning in Spring 2027. If all goes according to plan, the district anticipates moving into the new facility in Summer 2028.
We’re excited to share more updates soon and look forward to seeing many of you engage in the process as it moves forward.