Penta campus design outlines space use, costs

4/21/2005

The Penta Board of Education last night approved the second phase of designs for its $90.5 million school to be built in Perrysburg Township.

The latest designs for the new high school campus detail the square footage for each room and outline the equipment and technology needed in each space to serve different programs.

For example, the veterinary classrooms include a section for dog grooming and a surgery room with a viewing area, and the hairstyling classes will have overhead projection equipment so students can practice at their individual stations while watching the instructor on a screen.

The new 140-acre Penta Career Center campus will be bordered by I-75 and Buck, Bates, and Lime City roads.

Drawings of the vocational school's campus include three ponds with fountains, an outdoor terrace to accommodate up to 200 people, and sidewalks and wooded areas leading to the main entrance of the 520,000-square-foot building.

"I like what I see so far," said Penelope Getz, a member of the board.

The cost estimate has gone down by about $100,000 from an estimate received in November, though officials said the costs could go up depending on the price of construction materials. Funding is being collected by a 1-mill continuing improvement levy approved in 2003.

Superintendent Fred Susor said school administrators have started working with consultants and municipalities to plan for road improvements around the new campus. Wood County, Rossford, and Perrysburg Township may share the costs of those improvements.

"The biggest improvements road-wise would be on Buck Road from our entrance to Lime City Road," Mr. Susor said.

The next phase in the project is preparation for requesting construction bids.

Officials hope to send out bids this fall, award contracts early next year, and begin construction in spring, 2006.

The new school is scheduled to open in fall, 2009.