Officially inaugurating the construction phase of Walker County’s newest school, Saddle Ridge, are (from left) Don Freeman, President of Rentenbach Contractors; Pat Neuhoff of Neuhoff Taylor Architects, Superintendent Craig Davoulas; next to Board of Education members James A. Smith; Chairperson Patty Hart; Mike Carruth; Phyllis Hunter; and Susan Wells; followed by Representative Jay Neal, incoming superintendent Damon Raines and Chris Jones, Director of Facilities and Operations for Walker County Schools.
With trees and brush cleared, areas of earth leveled and a new road to allow access, construction has begun on the newest building project for Walker County Schools. The nearly 100-acre site, conveniently located between US Highway 27 and Arnold Road in the Rock Spring community, was purchased for the future home of an elementary, middle and high school educational complex to serve central Walker County.
"After twenty years of rebuilding and renovating existing schools to create the finest educational facilities in Northwest Georgia, we are very excited to provide a brand, new facility to serve students in a new way,” said Board chairperson Patty Hart, and announced the new schools will be called Saddle Ridge Elementary and Saddle Ridge Middle School.
The first phase of this complex is a 115,000 square foot facility with over 40 instructional units for approximately 700 kindergarten through eighth grade students. The elementary and middle school academic wings will share common administrative areas such as the cafeteria, media center, music rooms, PE facilities and a gymnasium with stage.
The projected cost for the completed K-8 complex is $16.5 million funded through Education Special Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) revenue and State capital outlay funds for the purpose of construction. The property had previously been purchased from the Arthur Talley family. Mrs. Gladys Talley was a retired educator who taught in Walker County Schools.
Before designing this school, a team of elementary, middle and high school staff, district administrators, board members, parents and community members visited area schools to view special use spaces and researched data-based models from magnet schools to STEM schools (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The team concluded project-based learning was the best option to serve students of the 21st Century and incorporated open, multipurpose areas suited for group work and presentations.
By the current schedule, the new elementary/middle school complex will open in the fall of 2013.