Romules Durant, superintendent of Toledo Public Schools, and the TPS Board of Education worked for more than a year planning for a new life for the University of Toledo’s retired Scott Park Campus.
Thursday’s groundbreaking signals a fresh start.
“This campus will be unique,” Mr. Durant said. “It will help revitalize the center of Toledo in the end. This really is an exciting time for Toledo.”
The Scott Park University campus has been planned to be an inclusive community of students, senior citizens, teachers, police officers, and more. Mr. Durant has said it will help create educational pathways for the district’s students to “learn here, live here, and earn a living here.”
The board of education passed a resolution March 25 hiring Rudolph Libbe Inc. to serve as construction manager for the Scott Park project. The cost is not to exceed the project budget of $7 million.
In a statement, Rudolph Libbe Senior Vice President Brad Deal said Rudolph Libbe is proud to partner with TPS on another project important to its educational mission.
“Rudolph Libbe will work diligently with our selected subcontractors and TPS on this aggressive schedule to have the building ready for the fall of 2026,” Mr. Deal said. “We’re ready to get started and add another important educational facility for TPS students.”
“There already has been some progress made in the first phase of the project,” Mr. Durant said. “RAM Construction Services is in the process of completing $1,942,859 in masonry repairs to the four-story building. RJK Roofing has put a new roof on all four of the buildings. The cost of that project is $6,058,977.”
Rudolph Libbe will help to identify jobs to be placed out for bidding by smaller local businesses including HVAC and electrical work, Mr. Durant said.
“The bidding process for this project includes student involvement in the process,” he said. “One of the requirements is that there will be mandatory internships for our students in construction, finance, renovations, repairs, etc.”
“We want small and minority-owned businesses to be allowed to bid on portions of the project,” Mr. Durant continued. “We want this to boost the local economy by using local labor so everyone gets a seat at the table.”
The $100 million renovation and redevelopment of the 134-acre Scott Park University campus was made possible when voters approved a five-year, 3.8-mill levy in the general election in November.
The levy will generate $99 million in improvement bonds over the next five years, half of which will cover the costs at Scott Park.
TPS will use the bond money to develop three academies: a business academy, a construction and architectural design academy complete with an outdoor construction lab, and the Brady educator academy and classrooms.
The campus will include a day-care center, dining services, a community health clinic, and a stocked fishing pond. The Dome at SPU will have a football field, baseball diamonds, basketball, and pickleball.
Various types of housing including villas on Parkside Boulevard will have homes for senior citizens. The Village at SPU will be a mix of affordable single-family homes, apartments, condos, and villas is also planned.
“This project is also unique because of the extensive demolition and renovation of the inside of six of the Scott Park campus buildings along with exterior building improvements and a new geothermal well field,” Mr. Deal said in the statement. “The challenges that come with a demolition and renovation project like this will require significant planning and coordination from the project team.”
In the statement, Mr. Deal also wrote about the new geothermal mechanical system on the campus.
“One of the more interesting aspects of the Scott Park project is the geothermal mechanical system that will provide sustainable and efficient heating and cooling for the buildings by using the constant underground temperatures,” Mr. Deal said. “The district should see significant savings from this system.”
The first phase will include renovations to all four buildings at the campus’ east end. The buildings will be used for high school students in grades 10 through 12.
The former Learning Resource Center will become the academic center; the former student center will become the dining services and fitness center; the former academic services building will become the construction and architectural design academy; and the former faculty annex will become the administrative suite and a health clinic.
Mr. Durant said the academies will help to fix the issues of not enough workers in education and the construction trades.
“We have a teacher shortage currently, and the Brady academy will help us teach the next generation of teachers,” Mr. Durant explained. “The goal is to be able to offer students the ability to go to the campus from seventh grade until they receive their bachelor’s degree.”
Mr. Durant said TPS is close to finalizing agreements with UT and Owens Community College, which will spell out how they work together to bring educational opportunities to citizens and students at the Scott Park campus.
“We are looking at having 200 to 300 kids going through this campus and into the doors of the universities,” Mr. Durant said. “We will provide pathways to education for our students. These connections are very important to both Owens and UT, as well as TPS.”
First Published April 2, 2025, 9:03 p.m.
