The new K-8 school slated to open next year in Nocatee’s Twenty Mile neighborhood has been pushed back and scaled down, with a smaller school now projected to open for the 2018-2019 school year, the St. Johns County School District has announced.
In a statement posted on its website, the district said it received only one bid to construct planned new schools, and that bid exceeded the construction budget.
“Awarding this bid is clearly not in the best interest of the district and community,” the statement read. “The stewardship of resources provided by taxpayers is paramount and the district will not violate the trust of the community by inappropriately spending these funds in a way that exceeds acceptable limits.”
Under the revised construction plans, both the Nocatee school and another K-8 school planned for the Aberdeen community will be scaled back to accommodate approximately 1,000 students instead of the original 1,490. The revised plans will also include a two-story classroom wing as an alternate bid item in order to bring the school to the original planned capacity of 1,490.
“Depending on the availability of revenue, the two-story wing will either be built as part of the original school construction beginning this summer, or at a later date as an addition to the school,” the district’s statement read. “It is anticipated that the extension of time to complete the K-8 schools, along with the revised scope, will provide the opportunity for additional firms to participate in the bid process and ultimately result in a cost savings and the ability to bring these projects back into the planned budget.”
