FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The fall of 2011 is going to bring good things for Fort Bragg schools. The Linden Oaks housing area will have its own elementary and middle school, and students attending Irwin Intermediate School on Fort Bragg will go to classes in a new building. The new schools will help meet the anticipated growth in the student population and meet the needs of Fort Bragg Families.
The Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded the $37.6 million contract for the construction of the new Linden Oaks schools in July. Construction should begin early next year, said Michelle Peralta, project manager for Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The schools at Linden Oaks will be connected sharing administrative offices and a large kitchen area. Each will have its own cafeteria, library and gymnasium.
The elementary school will be 123,616 square feet and able to house 714 students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The middle school will be about 99,300 square feet, with the capacity for 550 students in sixth through eighth grade.
The schools will have numerous features to conserve energy and preserve the natural environment.
"The schools will achieve at least a 30 percent reduction in energy usage through use of energy efficient glass which is also able to let more natural light in," said Peralta. "The roof will be reflective to help reduce energy costs, and materials used during construction will be conserved and we will reuse resources."
She added that construction would minimally disrupt the surrounding wetlands and would include nature trails to allow everyone to appreciate the natural beauty around the schools.
Designers of the new Fort Bragg schools spoke with some of the teachers and adjusted the design when possible to meet the teachers' needs.
"A lot of the design modifications we made were after speaking with the special needs teachers," said Peralta. "We made wider doors, lowered cabinets and tried to centrally locate the rooms. We do our best to tailor our designs to meet the needs of our customers."
Emily Marsh, Department of Defense Education Activity N.C. District superintendent, said she is looking forward to the new schools and hopes that they will make the lives of military Families a little easier.
"The long bus ride from Linden Oaks to Fort Bragg put additional strain and stress on the Families," said Marsh. "The new schools will help alleviate that. We look forward to the opportunity to serve all our children and provide them the best schools possible."
Marsh said she is also looking forward to the new building that will replace Irwin Intermediate School.
The original Irwin building was built in 1962. The new school is part of the ongoing project to continue improving or replacing the existing schools on Fort Bragg.
When looking at the Irwin project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined it would be more cost effective to build on a new location instead of razing the existing building and using the same site. The new Irwin Intermediate School will be off of Normandy Drive, near Butner and Murray elementary schools.
There is no firm decision on what will be done with the existing structure at this time, according to Glen Prillaman, master planner, Directorate of Public Works. He said that alternatives, including demolition, will be briefed at a later date to the garrison commander and that the command group will make the final decision.
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