State says Lexington’s new Tates Creek High School can be bigger than typically allowed

The Kentucky Board of Education has agreed to set aside the state’s size limitations on construction projects in the case of Lexington’s new Tates Creek High School building.

The state board’s vote at a virtual meeting Thursday means the Fayette County Public Schools board can proceed with the proposed construction of the high school building, set to begin this summer.

Fayette County’s school board asked that the size limitations be waived so that it could create what is essentially a walk-out basement in the new building.

It’s a structural solution that the district “perceives as less expensive and more expeditious,” state board of education documents said.

The added space allows the new high school building to have an auxiliary gym for additional athletic practice space.

The new building also can have space for a program for students with moderate and severe disabilities, a medical clinic in partnership with Healthfirst Bluegrass, and a required storm shelter and space for mechanical equipment, Fayette district documents said.

There was no discussion about the vote at the meeting, but a board document said interim Kentucky Education Commissioner Kevin Brown recommended approval.

The district asked for a similar waiver when Frederick Douglass High School, Lexington’s newest main high school, was completed in 2017.

The maximum size allowed for a high school building that accomodates 1,850 students is 276,997 gross square feet. The state board vote means the new Tates Creek building can be 357,207 gross square feet.

Some preliminary work on the new Tates Creek High school is happening now. Officials said the $88 million project is unique because the available land on the Tates Creek campus allows the district to construct a new building on the existing site.

The current school was built in 1965 with additions in 1969 and 1993.

The existing high school is located on a central campus which also serves Tates Creek elementary and middle schools.

The area available for the new building is limited due to the location of the two existing schools, the district’s desire to occupy the existing building during construction and other needed site improvements, documents said.

The new building footprint is situated on a downslope from the existing high school.

Residents say the construction will negatively impact the surrounding neighborhood and has asked for the project to halt, but that has not happened.

This story was originally published April 12, 2020 at 7:42 AM.