District looks to the future

Official ground breaking for new elementary school commences

The Amherst Exempted Village School District looked to the future of the district May 23 during the official ground breaking of the new Powers Elementary School, 393 S. Lake St.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming out today and being a part of the future of Amherst Schools,” said Steve Sayers, superintendent at Amherst Schools. “We are all here to celebrate a new chapter, and it has been a pleasure to be a part of a project that the whole community is excited about.”

Aaron Rodenbaugh, architect for the project from the GPD Group, said the new school is progressing as planned.

“The facility will be 120,000 square feet and will include the new Amherst Schools Board Office,” said Rodenbaugh. “Everything is progressing well on the project and we will hit the goal of having the school ready for August 2019.”

Rodenbaugh said Powers Elementary, which will be located where Harris Elementary once stood, is still having sewer issues.

“Right now, it’s all about clearing the area and taking care of all the things the school needs,” he said. “The utilities and earth work are being done at the site currently.

“The foundation is the next step and you will have the new building before you know it.”

Rodenbaugh said the new building will have the aesthetic to play off of Amherst Junior High, 548 Milan Ave.

“It will relate to the junior high in many ways,” he said. “It will look similar, but with an aesthetic that also tells you it is for younger students.

“There was also a point of emphasis on circulation during the planning process. There have been issues in the past with drop-offs in the morning, so an area where baseball fields used to be has been cleared out to make room for a bus zone. It will be designed so the traffic in the morning will flow smoothly.”

Rodenbaugh said there also was an emphasis on making the rooms in the building flexible spaces.

“There will be work environments for the students that can be moved and shifted based on teacher need,” he said. “We will also have it ready for all the latest learning technologies.

“It is truly going to be a 21st century learning center and it has been fun to be apart of the process.”

“Right now, it’s all about clearing the area and taking care of all the things the school needs. The utilities and earth work are being done at the site currently.

— Aaron Rodenbaugh, architect for the project from the GPD Group