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Two firms that want to design, build and finance Stafford's next three schools presented plans last night they say will save money while providing education and recreation for county residents.
Both groups--Stafford School Development Corp. and Haskell/Hess P3 Schools Joint Venture-- presented their plans to the School Board and the Board of Supervisors during a joint meeting at Colonial Forge High School.
The two boards are looking to public-private partnerships to build a high school in 2005 and an elementary school in 2004 on the 150-acre Armstrong property off Mountain View Road and another elementary school in 2005 in southern Stafford's Leeland Station subdivision.
Under such a partnership, a company or partnership of companies oversees financing, design and building of schools and any other related facilities on school land. Traditionally, school systems oversee design and construction, and seek financing through bonds issued by the Virginia Public School Authority.
School systems can save money when private companies lease any land that isn't needed by schools to other organizations.
Stafford School Development Corp. went first last night. The corporation consists of general contractor W.C. English Construction of Lynchburg, Moseley Architects and KBS Construction. English has worked on several public-private road projects. Moseley and KBS have worked on several Fredericksburg-area schools.
The corporation emphasized its connection to Stafford. It packed the house with construction workers and others who live or work in the county.
The firm proposes a 30,000- square-foot higher-education wing that would be attached to the 1,800-student high school.
It is partnering with Germanna Community College, Mary Washington College's James Monroe Center and Old Dominion University. The colleges are interested in holding classes at the site, said Doug Dalton, president of English Construction.
The proposal calls for initially offering night classes at the high school, and building the higher-education wing later. This would give college officials more time to gauge public interest and need for college classes. The colleges would lease the classroom space, saving Stafford schools money.
The firm also has partnered with the Rappahannock Area YMCA, which is interested in putting a YMCA on the site and sharing recreational fields with the school system. It also discussed selling a few acres to Dominion Power for a power substation, and about one acre for a private day-care center. That would leave eight to 10 acres of commercial space that could be sold or leased, Dalton said.
The firm also proposes to build the 950-student school at Leeland Station.
Its plan would provide the schools for several million dollars less than Stafford officials have projected, Dalton said, but he didn't provide specific figures.
Haskell/Hess P3 Schools Joint Ventures also plans to offer a higher-education facility on the Armstrong property. It is made up of the Haskell Co., which has completed a dozen public-private schools in Florida; Grimm + Parker Architects, which designed Colonial Forge High; and Hess Construction, which built Colonial Forge High.
It proposed a 65,000-square-foot higher-education building, separate from the high school, that would be leased by colleges. It also proposed selling about 28 acres to a developer to build a senior-citizen community with about 200 houses, which would save the school system money.
For Leeland Station, Haskell/Hess proposed housing the 950-student elementary school and a branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in the same building. This would provide lease money for the school system and give elementary school students greater library access. The firm said the school system could save $16.7 million over 25 years with its plan.
An evaluation committee will review each firm's proposals Monday, and recommend one to the School Board on Tuesday.