SDOC Announces Seneca Middle School Construction Timeline
Scheduled opening in August 2024
A targeted opening date of August 2024 for the new Seneca MIddle School was announced at a Board of Trustees meeting held Monday, February 8, 2021.
District administrators had been hopeful to open the new school a year earlier. However, several factors out of the district’s control have resulted in the delay. Those factors include:
- A delay in the relocation of high transmission power lines located on the property.
- In the current economic climate, construction costs are higher than the district has ever faced. This has resulted in a higher “price tag” than anticipated for the new school.
- Due to a decrease in property assessments, the amount of bonds the district can sell has been reduced by $1,000,000 per year for a minimum of 2 years. This significantly lowers the amount of “8% Money” funds available for the district. “8% Money” refers to a statement in the SC constitution that allows school districts to borrow up to 8% of the assessed value of real property in the district to fund the construction of school buildings.
Mr. Steve Hanvey said, “The original goal of August 2023 was already a tight timeline from both a construction and financial perspective. With the hurdles we continue to face, it’s just not possible to be ready to open in August 2023.”
Dr. Michael Thorsland said, “When we design and build a school, we want that school to meet the current and future needs of the community; we plan for a school to have a 50-year lifespan. Maybe we could deliver a building in time for school to start in 2023, but it would not be the building the Seneca community needs or deserves. We aren’t willing to sacrifice quality to open the school earlier.”