Chisholm Elementary Breaks Ground For $20.7 Million Replacement Campus

Posted

New Smyrna Beach, FL - Chisholm Elementary School in New Smyrna Beach is breaking ground for the construction of a new $20.7 million replacement campus for the elementary school. The official ground-breaking for the replacement campus was held Tuesday, May 29 at 9 a.m. The replacement campus will be larger than the current one and will accommodate a minimum of 750 students. The campus will be 94,000 square feet on the 24-acre site at 557 Ronnoc Lane. "Our school building is 64 years old, so it was selected based on need," Chisholm Principal Craig Zablo explains. The replacement campus will be built on the current campus while the existing school continues to operate. The first phase of construction is slated to be ready for students beginning in August 2019. It will include a two-story classroom building, cafetorium, media center and administration building. The second phase of construction will bring in a second classroom building and a physical education pavilion. The school's courtyard will also get a raised concrete platform for outdoor performances. Zablo says that, for safety reasons, the new campus will have a single point of entry, security fences and security cameras. The building will also be constructed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane and could be used as a hurricane shelter. "The design of the new school continues with the standards for a 21st-century facility incorporating collaborative learning areas, safety and security features and technology throughout the school. The design process included input from students, parents, faculty, staff and the community," Community Information Specialist Robert Edgcomb says in a news release. The school's architecture is expected to showcase the school's history and the location in coastal New Smyrna Beach with a reception area display highlighting the historic westside neighborhood and the Chisholm School, which was once the high school for the African-American community. Two murals at the school will also showcase work from local artists and the school's art teacher, Steve Hardock. The new Chisholm Elementary School will be the second school to be built with funds from Volusia County's half-cent sales tax extension. The first is a replacement campus for Pierson Elementary that is slated for completion in August of this year. Photo courtesy of Volusia County Schools.