On November 4, 2021 a public hearing was held and attended by 20 people about building a new Rockcastle County Middle School. The Rockcastle County Board of Education and the Local Planning Committee (LPC) both voted to build a new middle school building. The Board voted 4-1 to approve the building, with member Larry Hammond being the sole dissenting opinion. The LPC voted 12-0 to approve the building.
The current RCMS building was built over 50 years ago, as Rockcastle County High School. It consolidated the county’s four schools, which housed grades K-12 at the time. In 1995, when the new high school was completed, the old high school building became the current middle school, consolidating grades 6-8.
Over the years, many improvements have been made to the current RCMS building, which first opened its doors in 1972. During the November 4 hearing, the Board initially discussed major renovations currently needed, which would come with an estimated cost of $15,587,383. The plan for a new building that was presented in the hearing “amended the renovations plan to show a 625 student middle school to replace the current middle school, on a to be determined site,” according to the District Facilities Plan Hearing Report. The report also noted that changing the project from a “renovation project to a new construction project” would cost an estimated $23,085,385.”
Eight people voiced their opinions on the new plan. All were in favor of the new middle school except for one person. Robbie Phillips, the current middle school principal, began the public comments with a slide show presentation, “RCMS Behind the Scenes”. He shared a few slides of the walls coming apart from the building’s foundation and discussed “foundational shifting and foundational cracks” before reaching his two-minute time limit.
I was next on the agenda to speak, as a parent, in favor of the new middle school project and asked if I could yield my time to Mr. Phillips, which wasn’t possible. I and others in attendance agreed that what he had to say was very important in understanding the current condition of the middle school building, so I asked to meet with him after the hearing to discuss the building and to share a copy of his slides to be included on The Climax Observer page for easy public access. He will be presenting his presentation in its entirety at 6:00 pm in tonight’s(November 9) regularly scheduled Board of Education Meeting, which will be livestreamed and available on The Climax Observer facebook page. He spoke to me about the building “looking good from the outside,” but described the Herculean task of keeping things looking good when there are so many structural issues behind the scenes.
Images from Mr. Phillip’s presentation.
Slides show walls pulling away from the foundation, outdated systems, floors cracking, and mold on a chair. Additional concerns are: mold/humidity, temperature variance, roofing/ceiling leaks, maintenance cost, metal walls, some rooms not having doors, asbestos, quality of air, handicap accessible, safe schools/gym/cafeteria
Other speakers voiced their opinions concerning the old building’s many needed renovations, comparing them to the benefits of a new building. Jamison Rogers, a parent, said she was “in favor of a new, smaller, more energy-efficient middle school” that would be “cleaner and safer for our children.” She discussed the health issues created for children because of mold in the school. She closed by saying, “The building is 50 years old, it’s time for a new building, “if you build it, they will come.”
Josh Bray, our local state representative, also spoke in favor of the new building, recalling “trash cans collecting rainwater inside the school” in his years at the middle school through 1998. He also pointed to the efficiency of a new building and that a new building would qualify for money from the General Assembly. Renovations to the building would come solely from the school’s funds.
Connie Riddle was one of the first to attend school in the building when it was new. She was also a teacher in the building while it was the high school and her 3 children attended the middle school.
“Our kids deserve the new environment”, she said. Her grandson will attend middle school next year.
Jeff Vanhook, Economic Development Director and architect, said “the new building would get us up-to-date with new standards and meeting building codes,” and that a new building would be more energy efficient and that “unforeseen conditions could cost even more in renovations” to the current building were it not replaced. Mr. Vanhook also read a statement on behalf of Howell Holbrook, County Judge Executive, stating that he, “would recommend following the LPC (Local Planning Committee) recommendations and building a new facility.”
The one person speaking in opposition to the new building was Board of Education member Larry Hammond, who said “even though it needs a lot of work, $15 million would go a long way.” He argued that the Kentucky Department of Education-approved space, which is based on the size of the population being served by the building, will be insufficient and there “wouldn’t be space for a broom closet”, that it’s “better to have more space.”
Ultimately, however, both the Board and the LPC voted to approve the plan for a new Rockcastle County Middle School.
