A preliminary design for the new Corbin Middle School was approved by the Corbin Board of Education Thursday.
Kevin Cheek, with Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects, presented the schematic design chosen by middle school staff members to the board. Cheek originally presented staff members with three designs during a discussion session last week, however, the staff ultimately decided on one schematic they preferred over the others.
The preferred design, and design ultimately approved by the board, features two wings with the media center being the central point of the school. It also has two floors, and separate entries for students being dropped off by parents and students dropped off by the school bus.
The design features an 800 seating capacity gymnasium, which will also serve as an auditorium, an outdoor classroom and classrooms specifically tailored for band, vocal and piano students. Students are sectioned off according to their grade level, with each grade level having a designated hallway.
Cheek said the schematic design is likely to change during the planning of the school, and the varying grades of the land proved to be a challenge in the school design. Describing the land at the site as “tiered,” Cheek said the ground will have to be leveled as much as possible for construction to begin. It was also the grades of the land that decided upon the placement of the building and athletic sites next to it. “The way it’s oriented is the most economical and give the most area for parking,” Cheek said.
With the current design, the school will have 210 parking spaces and area for 12 school busses to stack in the bus loop. The road leading up to the school will allow for numerous cars to enter onto the school property and line up for student pick up or drop off.
“To meet your educational needs, this (design) seems to be the way you need to go,” Cheek said.
With the schematic design receiving board approval, the design will now be sent off to the Kentucky Department of Education for their approval. Cheek will then hold design development meetings which will include discussion on classroom designs and security.
The building is expected to be completed in December 2017 or January 2018.
