BOWLING GREEN —The designers of the new Bowling Green High School unveiled their plan Wednesday as they prepare to sell it to the community.
The DLR Group revealed the renderings of the $63 million school before an audience of 150 in the Performing Arts Center.
“I love this plan so much,” said Christie Boron of Emersion DESIGN. “It’s tremendous.”
The three-story, 150,000-square-foot school is part of a $73 million bond issue on the Nov. 7 ballot. Bowling Green City Schools district voters have rejected several new schools' proposals in recent years, including a combination income tax-property tax issue last November.
The other $10 million generated from the levy will be used to renovate some of the existing high school into a community space, which will cost $5 million, and demolish the rest of it, which will be $1.2 million.
The design precedent for the new high school was taken from several buildings on the Bowling Green State University campus. They include the Wolfe Center for Arts, the Stroh Center and the Maurer Center for business education.
The 150,000-square-foot building will have a design theme of the “Great Black Swamp and Agriculture.”
The designers touted the connections that would be created.
The music program will be close to the existing Performing Arts Center. The Penta Career Center and ag spaces will have public access.
The new building will feature colors of scarlet and “mine shaft” gray.
A red walkway will connect the new high school and the new community center.
The new gymnasium will be able to host national tournaments. A walking track will be above it, concessions area, weight room, and ceremonial hallway.
The cafeteria will be a “collegiate dining hall experience,” said Dusty Lake, with DLR, which is based in Columbus.
“it is the heart of our building,” Boron said. “It is an amazing three-story space that will be used for so much more than lunch.”
The renderings and Wednesday’s presentation will be on the school district website.
“It’s a pretty exciting time and you start to think of what could be,” said Ryan Myers, president of the board of education.
Everyone at the meeting was invited to submit questions, which will be answered on a “frequently asked” part of the website.
“I think the turnout was good. I think there are a lot of people who are interested,” said Superintendent Ted Haselman.
The school district, which serves students who live in the city of Bowling Green and the villages of Custar, Milton Center, Portage, Rudolph and Sugar Ridge, has about 2,900 students and 450 staff members.
First Published August 31, 2023, 12:02 a.m.
