WILMINGTON — Clinton County commissioners heard first-hand Monday about two Clinton-Massie projects — one of which has walls already going up, the other a longer-term plan for athletic facilities.
In fact, Clinton-Massie leaders said the on-campus health center probably will be finished by early August before the start of a new school year.
From a structural standpoint, the new school-based health center (SBHC) had a running start with federal grant funds being used to reconfigure existing space inside the Annex facility formerly used for elementary classes.
Interior demolition at the Annex has gone apace, with wall construction now occurring and an electrician on-site Friday.
Because an SBHC is something new here, Clinton-Massie Supt. Matt Baker was asked to clarify which members of the public can utilize the facility once it starts up later this year.
You do not have to have children enrolled in Clinton-Massie, nor do you even need to reside in the CM school district in order to make use of the health center.
The on-campus health center will be a regular business that is on school grounds and housed inside school-owned space, making it very convenient for the school district’s students and staff, said the superintendent.
It’s being designed so that there will be separate entrances and waiting rooms: one for the public, and another for CM staff and students during the school day.
Parents will need to sign a document to allow their child to be seen by the health center’s medical professionals, as well as parental permission on the school day their child is ill, Baker said.
Greater Tomorrow Health is the service provider that will be leasing the space from the school district, as previously reported. Greater Tomorrow Health’s location in Wilmington will remain open.
Baker noted the one doctor in Clarksville has retired or moved on, and that medical care is currently not available very close to the CM campus. Having health care closer to home is a big plus for area residents, added the superintendent.
The second project, which involves athletic and outdoor facilities, was designed by VSWC Architects with offices in Mason. The project is to be funded by businesses and individuals and not by taxes, school district officials have said.
On Monday, Baker told county commissioners “this is a major undertaking” which school officials forecast will be a 10-year or so project that will be done in phases.
“We hope to start as early as next spring, in order to get at least a couple things in place before the start of the ’23-’24 school year,” said the superintendent.
Phase 1, he said, includes locker rooms, a new stadium with more seating, concessions and restrooms, walkways, and re-purposing of a field to become a practice facility.
Phase 1 has an approximate $7 million cost, said Baker.
While CM student-athletes and spectators will be among the chief users of the projected facilities upgrade, the upgrade also is anticipated to enable more use among community members. A Falcon Training Center, which would be an indoor facility, could include a place for residents to play basketball and maybe have a walking path if funding permits, CM Board of Education President Jeremy Lamb said.
“We wanted to expand the amenities for the community as well,” Lamb told commissioners.
Joe Hete, who was part of a group who met with VSWC Architects, said that during their many meetings there were various options discussed and attention was given to “how we might get there from here.”
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
