NORFOLK — City Council took another step Tuesday toward building a new Maury High School, approving a $6.1 million partial design contract in a 7-1 vote.
The contract, with Chesapeake-based Heartland Construction, Work Program Architects and VMDO Architects, directs the firms to complete 35% of the design work, then present plans to the Norfolk School Board.
The contract includes $400,000 to design a replacement for the school’s indoor swimming pool complex.
Numerous speakers at the meeting came out in support of the new school and the pool complex.
“A pool at Maury High School will benefit the entire school system and is essential for building a high-quality swimming program,” said parent Jeff Belcher.
Council member John “JP” Paige voted against the measure, saying he wanted to see other city high schools, such as Booker T. Washington, receive the same treatment.
The design contract includes a site plan, design of utilities, storm water systems and environmental aspects, according to Norfolk City Manager Patrick Roberts. Additionally, the work will include a preliminary design of other athletic facilities such as a multipurpose field, baseball field, softball field and tennis courts.
According to the contract, design work is scheduled to be complete by March. The new school could open by 2028, according a presentation by Roberts.
The contract does not decide the fate of the old Maury building — Roberts said City Council members will need to make that decision at a later date. The city originally floated the idea of turning the old building into apartments, but no decision has been made.
Alice Allen-Grimes, Norfolk Preservation Alliance president, admonished the city for backing away from concrete plans to save the historic structure.
“This process has been the opposite of transparent,” Allen-Grimes said.
However, Mayor Kenny Alexander and Council member Andria McClellan said during the meeting that they still support adaptive reuse of the current building.
The city anticipates scheduling additional community meetings on different design aspects of the project in the summer through next spring.
Maury High School is more than a century old, making it the oldest high school in the city and one of the oldest in Virginia. Even though the high school is a Ghent fixture, architects say there is water erosion and rust on the exterior. The building has extensive water leaks, according to Pilot reporting, and in 2014, a portion of the auditorium roof collapsed during a band concert.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
