Buckeye planning on starting early site work for construction project

YORK TWP. — Buckeye Schools aims to start early site work soon for its construction project. The district will build a new high school at the corner of Wolff Road and Columbia Road and will renovate the existing high school into a middle school. At Tuesday's board of education meeting, Superintendent Jeff Stanton said the district is preparing early site work. He intends to bring an early site work package before the board of education for consideration at a later date. "Our goal would be to start that in early October," he said. "Our goal really is to get the pad in place this fall. We want to take advantage of the good weather in the fall to get that work done." Since the district knew it wanted to do some early site work in the fall, it decided to put up fencing around the construction site to avoid changing traffic patterns during the school year, Stanton said. Therefore, morning drop-off now consists of: All parent traffic entering the campus from Columbia Road. High school traffic following the designated route through the school's main parking lot before exiting back onto Columbia Road. Junior high traffic continuing along the east side of the campus, passing the junior high school and exiting onto Wolff Road. School buses using a separate entrance and drop-off route to keep bus and parent traffic separate. For afternoon pickup, the overall traffic pattern remains the same as in the morning, but buses load in dedicated lanes behind the junior high school. The construction project will also be moving from the schematic design phase to design development. Stanton said the district will continue to align with the visioning and design work already completed. "We have heard loud and clear that we want the new high school to be modern yet contemporary," he said. "There's a request for sophistication and innovation in the building but also to maintain tradition." Architecture firm GPD Group will keep meeting with Buckeye High School teachers to gain their feedback and will start meeting with sixth, seventh and eighth grade teachers, Stanton said. "Just as important as the new high school is the part of this facility plan that brings our seventh and eighth graders to (the current high school) in the 2029-30 school year," he said. "Then in the following year, in 2030-31, we will bring our sixth graders to this building and turn it into a middle school at the same time." For more information on district facilities, visit tinyurl.com/5vv64tyr. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at 330-721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.