Union County High School students will experience enhanced career and technical training in a completely renovated vocational center thanks to an $8.5 million grant allocated by the Kentucky General Assembly. The Union County Board of Education approved a measure at its July 24th regular meeting to seek bids for a major renovation project which will transform the current vocational school building.
The Union County Vocational School was originally constructed in 1963. This expansion and substantial renovation will touch every aspect of the building and will be one of the most significant building projects with regard to academic programming for Union County Schools. The project will include creating classroom and lab spaces for five career and technical education (CTE) program areas including agriculture, business, computer science, engineering, and health science. The project will also include the construction of a new storage building, greenhouse, and fenced-in outdoor work space directly behind the trade school to be used for student agriculture projects.
School district administrators and CTE teachers have worked closely with the Board architect for several months to design schematics for the new center based on specifications outlined by the Kentucky Department of Education and teacher recommendations. They are excited to be able to design learning spaces that meet the specific needs of their students and programs. “I am thrilled about the upcoming renovations of our vocational school,” said Margie McGraw, UCHS computer science teacher. “I believe they will usher in a myriad of positive effects by creating an inspiring learning environment and fostering a sense of enthusiasm and pride among our students.”
Due to the design of the existing vocational building, several areas of the facility are currently used for purposes other than career and technical education. Those spaces include a maintenance shop, a weight room, and a wrestling practice area. However, to maximize the grant funding, which is approved only for renovation of Local Area Vocational Education Centers, the school system must create new spaces to house those non-CTE programs.
To address the needs, school officials plan to relocate the weight room to the lower level of the trade school in an area next to the football locker room. The weight room will be accessible for UCHS advanced PE classes and all athletic teams. To meet the needs of the maintenance department, the Board will oversee construction of a new maintenance shop to be built on property near the bus garage. The 4,000-square-foot building will be utilized as a work and storage area and also serve as an intake center for large deliveries.
To accommodate other needs associated with the project, the Board plans to construct an athletic fieldhouse with dedicated spaces for boys and girls wrestling, cheer, and dance student athletes as well as two tennis courts next to the fieldhouse. The fieldhouse and tennis courts will be built near the softball field and lower parking lot of the high school. Superintendent Patricia Sheffer explained that this construction not only creates a new space for the wrestling teams, a need caused by the vocational renovation, but also addresses existing needs for additional practice spaces for cheer, dance, and tennis athletes. The architect team has designed early schematic plans for a basic fieldhouse practice facility with input from wrestling coach Robert Ervin and athletic director Jeremy Tackett.
The entire project, including the renovations for the vocational center and weight room along with the new construction of the maintenance shop and athletic fieldhouse, is estimated to cost $16.5 million. Of that cost, $8.5 million will be paid with grant dollars, while the remaining amount would be paid with bonds. School leaders have worked closely with the district’s fiscal agent, architect, and construction manager to determine that the preliminary cost is feasible for the district.
The Board is also considering an option to expand the new athletic fieldhouse to include open turf areas that could be used as additional practice and conditioning space for other teams including archery, band, baseball, cross country, football, soccer, softball, track, and volleyball. Sheffer explained that teams often have to juggle practice times to share use of gym space. The added space to the fieldhouse would open new options for practice areas to better accommodate needs of students and provide an alternative site for training during inclement weather.
The inclusion of additional fieldhouse space is considered optional since it would add an estimated $1 million to the project and stretch the Board’s capacity to fund future building and maintenance needs across the district. However, Board members agreed to at least seek bids on the addition since it would provide many potential benefits for Union County students. The Board will decide whether or not to include the addition to the athletic fieldhouse once it receives detailed bid proposals.
The Board is still in the early stages of the project, and no specific timetable has been set for completion. The school system will allow several months to accept bids, and then the Board will consider next steps.
School leaders believe the positive impact of the renovation project will last for many years to come. “The positive ripple effect extends beyond the school’s walls and reaches the broader community” McGraw reflected. “As our students enter the workforce prepared with cutting-edge skills, they will contribute to the local economy by filling the demand for skilled labor in various industries.”
Mrs. Sheffer expressed both gratitude for the grant dollars and a sense of urgency to move forward with the project. “This plan addresses needs we’ve seen for a long time and will enhance the learning experiences for so many of our students,” she highlighted. “We’ll never have this opportunity again in our lifetime.”
Preliminary schematics of the project are available below.
Vocational Renovation Site:
Vocational Center Renovation:
Relocated Weight Room:
Maintenance Building Site:
Athletic Fieldhouse & Tennis Courts Site:
Athletic Fieldhouse:
