When Blair Elementary School is replaced, measures to address traffic flow and stormwater runoff on top of stricter building requirements mean aspects of the existing facility must be sacrificed — specifically, the baseball fields.
The New Hanover County Board of Education approved SFL+A Architects’ schematic design for the school, but requested they pursue ways of adding a baseball field somewhere on either Blair or nearby Noble Middle School’s property, because the fields are used by both the schools and by the community as well.
The bond referendum voters approved in 2014 is funding the school’s replacement, but the project’s architects have encountered numerous issues meeting all the requirements on such a small lot. Despite the board’s concerns about losing the fields, board member Bruce Shell praised the architects’ efforts.
“I think it’s clear you’re trying to put a 20-acre facility in a 14-acre site,” he acknowledged.
Building requirements have become stricter since the existing facility was constructed in the 1950s. The structure must be set back further from Market Street on one side and Noble Middle School on the other, squeezing available building space down significantly.
The new design also addresses parking and traffic flow issues with a larger parking lot. Concerns were raised about traffic overflowing and backing up on Market Street during pick-up hours, the architect explained. But several board members were worried about the increase in impervious surfaces created by the large asphalt lot.
The school will have a retention pond to catch runoff, the architects said. But the retention pond has to be at the lowest part of the property, which is where the baseball fields are now.
Creating efficient recreational spaces helped the architects meet the size constraints. A multi-use field will replace the baseball fields and, whereas typically the architects prefer to create separate playgrounds for grades K–2 and 3–8, in Blair’s new facility they will be combined.
Snipes Academy of Art and Design served as the prototype for the schematic design, but Blair will have its own character, the architects said. It will accommodate 520 students with four classrooms for each grade level. While the school is being rebuilt, its students will attend the new Porters Neck Elementary School.
Seat Belts on Buses
The board also heard the first reading of a new policy to put seat belts on buses. It will vote on the policy during its April meeting.
The policy calls for seat belts to be installed on five of the county’s school buses next year. Lap belts have been tried on buses before, assistant superintendent for planning and operations Bill Hance said, but these combined shoulder and lap belts are much safer.
“Those were actually proven to be detrimental,” he said.
Belts will only be put on five buses to start with to test the policy, board vice chair Jeannette Nichols said. Children who don’t buckle up will be disciplined.
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