Council, board discuss park, new school
The annual joint meeting between Peters council and the school board on Monday focused on Rolling Hills Park and the new Peters high school.
Paul Lauer, township manager, said council is expected to vote on the master plan for Rolling Hills Park at its Feb. 26 meeting.
The proposed $28 million plan for the park located on half of the former Rolling Hills Country Club site off East McMurray Road was formally presented at a hearing last month.
Mr. Lauer said when working with its engineers, Mackin Engineering of Findlay, council and the park steering committee determined, “This park should not have the same types of facilities as our other parks.”
Mr.Lauer said the one item atop residents’ wish list is an aquatics facility, which is includedin the master plan.
He explained that the park’s design, which is divided into three sections, “fits the existing terrain,” and the mature trees on the property would remain.
In the master plan, the park would be divided into three sections: the South Valley, the Ridge Top and the North Valley. The park master plan can be viewed online at www.peterstownship.com.
School superintendent Jeannine French presented information on the $95 million high school, which is scheduled to open for the 2020-21 school year on half of the former Rolling Hills Country Club site.
The district did a feasibility study of the high school as well as a demographics study and determined a new buildingwould be the best option.
Ms. French said the large group areas of the current high school, like the gymnasium and auditorium are undersized. The cafeteria is so small that the first lunch period at the high school is before 10 a.m., she added.
The new building will have a 2,000-seat gym, a 1,200-seat auditorium and a cafeteria big enough for about 600 students.
She said it also is important that the new high school “fit the Rolling Hills landscape” so the building will be designed in three levels. The district has been working with Hayes Design Group Architects of Robinson on the project.
Brad Rau, school district business manager, said taxes are expected to increase by about 0.25 mills per year over the next six years, or about 1.45mills overall.
He said the district expects to advertise for bids for construction of the new high school in early April with a contract to be awarded in May.
“Hopefully, we will move groundinJune,”Mr.Rausaid.
The shared roads that will be used by the township and the school district to enter and exit the high school/park propertyalso were discussed.
Mr. Lauer said the township is working with Herbert, Rowland & Grubic of Cranberry on the roadway. The township has tasked the firm with seeing whether a traffic circle or a signalized intersection would best fit the East McMurrayRoad entrance.
Additionally, the district and township are working together to improve the Center Church Road entrance to the property, as well as its connecting roads.