The South Burlington School Board has a design in mind for a new school and recreation center that’s estimated to cost $209 million.

The goal of the project is to address overcrowding and aging mechanical and electrical infrastructure at South Burlington High School and Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School. After weighing five options, the board and contractors of Dore and Whittier Architects, the company hired to complete the project, decided on a plan to knock down both schools and build a brand new one that students will share.

They held a public meeting on Tuesday to share the plan with parents. Lee Dore, head of Dore and Whittier Architects, said although it’s the most expensive option, it will take the least amount of construction time and will be the least disruptive to students’ learning.

“The idea is to build a whole new complex on the east side of the site so that we can keep schools up and operational. And basically, we’re going to put a construction fence right through the middle of the site so that contractors can have the work area all alone without disrupting students in the ongoing education,” he said.

Dore said the new school will be built where the track field currently is. Once students and staff move into the new building, they will demolish the current buildings and replace them with a new field and parking lot for the new school.

Dore said the cost of the school was a surprise to some parents at Tuesday’s meeting.

“There's certainly some sticker shock on what that number is but people have to understand that it's a brand new high school and brand new middle school. We're dealing with solving a problem for about 1,600 students plus staff,” Dore said.

South Burlington parent Keith Epstein says he hopes the price will be lowered by the time taxpayers vote on it but he’s optimistic the final product will be worth the money.

"Initial thoughts are it's a lot of money but it seems like the design team is doing a good job of making sure that it suits the community and thinking and long term,” he said. “There are a lot of really good ideas, modernizing the school and give me more collaborative workspace. I liked the covered bike parking and pedestrian access."

The duration of the project is expected to be three years and eight months with the new school set to open to students in January 2024. Construction crews anticipate it taking another nine months to tear down the middle and high schools and complete the parking lots and sporting fields.

The construction is broken up into three phases:

•Phase 1 – Build new MS, HS, Wellness Ctr (February 2021 – October 2023)

•Phase 2 – Move MS and HS students (October 2023 – January 2024)

•Phase 3 – Demo old MS and HS, complete remaining fields and parking (January 2024 – October 2024)

The school board is expecting a final cost estimate in November. The bond is expected to be on the March 2020 ballot.