Brunswick Schools construction project begins design phase

BRUNSWICK — The upcoming construction project that will complete Brunswick Schools facilities master plan has now entered its design phase. ThenDesign Architecture is the architectural firm and Hammond Construction is the construction manager at risk for the project. Employees from both companies introduced themselves to and answered questions from community members during a meeting on Tuesday. Scott Alleman is the project manager from ThenDesign Architecture. He said the district's goals for the project are that the building is functional, the space allows for the best educational practices, the process is on time and on budget and that there are opportunities for community engagement. ThenDesign Architecture asked stakeholders what their priorities are for a new Brunswick High School during the meeting. Creating student-centered learning environments was the group's top priority. Also at the top of the list was technology, a decrease in student's class transition times and departmental organization. The project will spend about a year in the design phase, he said. The firm will gather information and get the big picture first before going into the smaller details. Afterward, there will be around two years of construction. Towslee Elementary School will likely be the first place to have construction activity since it is where the new high school will be located, but there is not a date yet, Alleman said. Construction access will be separate from the student driver and bus entrance, which will likely be on Excellence Drive. The new high school itself will likely have two to three entrances and be two to three stories, he said. The current high school is one story and has multiple doors that can be accessed from the outside. The goal is to have the new Brunswick High School open at the start of the 2026-27 school year, Brunswick Schools Superintendent Jason Niedermeyer said. "That's 1,044 days from today," he said. "While that sounds like a lot of time, we have a lot of work to do to be ready to open the doors." The project aims to finish the district's facilities master plan by doing the following: Demolishing the current Brunswick High School, Towslee Elementary School, Willetts Middle School and the existing maintenance building. Constructing a new high school with features like a 1,000-seat performing arts center, a multipurpose field with synthetic turf, tennis courts and a full-size baseball field. Building a new maintenance facility and board of education office in the area where Willetts Middle School is located. Adding classrooms and making site improvements for traffic patterns at Applewood and Kidder elementary schools. In May, the bond issue for the project passed, which raises $102 million locally. The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission also approved about $42.6 million in funding to build a new Brunswick High School. The district is looking for community feedback, and there will be more community engagement sessions in the future. To give input on the design of the new high school, visit bit.ly/490gpfK. To submit questions about any aspect of the project, visit bit.ly/491bN8Q. "We're excited for this opportunity for our community," Niedermeyer said. "We really want to build something that our community can be proud of." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.