BUENA VISTA — Marion County’s new Middle/High School officially began its construction Tuesday after about three years of planning.

Members of the Marion County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education and Buena Vista City Council members shoveled a piece of ground to officially begin construction on the 146,000-sq.-ft. structure that will sit on 200 acres of land in the center of Marion County.

The school building, which is planned to open for the 2012-13 school year, will cost roughly $25 million, but leaders didn’t have to raise taxes to build it.

According to Richard McCorkle, Marion County School System  superintendent, the State of Georgia gave the system $10.6 million, and the district paid the rest of the cost.

“We sold some bonds,” McCorkle said. That means the millage rate wasn’t touched, and there will be no extra fees for the tax payers for the school.

According to McCorkle, the state only pays for building costs.

“The state doesn’t pay for grading, prepping the land or any of the athletic facilities,” McCorkle said.

There will be three main wings, McCorkle said. The middle school, which will house 15 classrooms, will be in one wing. The middle school will have three special education classrooms, a counselors’ area and an assistant principals’ area.

The high school will be housed in another wing, and a vocational wing will be in another. There will be a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps room, as well.

As far as athletic fields go, there will be a football stadium, a weight room inside a field house, a practice football field with a track around it, a baseball and a softball field, six tennis courts, a practice field for the band and a practice softball field for physical education use, as well.

“All our teachers met with our architects,” McCorkle said. “Of course, the Board of Education made the final decision, but we wanted everyone to have an input.”  

One of the most impressive parts about the school, McCorkle believes, is that about 40 percent of the school will be lighted naturally.

McCorkle and the members of the Board of Education went to North Carolina to look at some of their newer schools to research them, and McCorkle and the Board found the natural lighting not only better for the environment, but it raised students’ test scores, as well.

“We looked at a lot of research,” McCorkle said. “The lighting helped kids’ and teachers’ attendance and also increased test scores. Now, I’m not promising that (just because of the lighting,) but it does make sense that the natural lighting saves on electric bills.”

The gymnasium, cafeteria and much of the school’s common areas will be natural lighting. The school’s architect, SRJ Architects, headquartered in Albany, has set up windows in these areas so that there won’t be any glare for students, but so that there will still be enough light in the area, even on cloudy days, that students and faculty can teach and study.

“When we went to the schools in North Carolina, at several of the schools, it was raining — in particular, there was one day in the gym when it was raining, and (the school) didn’t have any lights on in the gymnasium, and it looked as though they had lights on.”

This will be the first high school in South Georgia, according to McCorkle, with this kind of natural lighting.

And, the location of the school is at the center of the county, which is better for much of their student population and faculty.

The middle and high school facility the County is using now was built in the mid-1970s, and, at that time, was called Tri-County High School. The school was a shared with Schley and Webster counties, so the school was built at the southern end of Marion County. Since that time, Schley and Webster counties have created their own high schools, and now, some students and faculty members are forced to drive 25-30 miles to get to school.

“With the new school, the furthest anyone will have to drive is 12-13 miles,” McCorkle said.

The School Board’s attorney found the land for the 200 acres for the County, and each acre cost the Board $2,500. The land, therefore, cost the Board $500,000.

The Board bought that much land so the school could grow in the future or possibly build another school, McCorkle said.

The middle and high school have a total now of 725 students, but McCorkle is expecting that number to rise in the near future since Fort Benning will be taking in all of Fort Knox’s workers. Fort Knox, which is in North Carolina, will be closed down, and the military personnel from there are relocating to Fort Benning in Columbus. Authorities estimate about 28,000 people will make the move to the Columbus area from Kentucky, and McCorkle expects some of the military personnel to relocate to Marion County.

The Board of Education has already begun to move; the Middle and the High Schools are now combined. The old middle school is now being used as Marion County government offices.

The auditorium and the cafeteria now are rented out for things like blood drives.

Once the school is finalized and the students and teachers are moved, the Board of Education will put the Middle and High School up for sale, McCorkle said.  

“We’re so excited and thankful for the people in Marion County for supporting it,” McCorkle said. “They’re actually beginning to move equipment in today (Tuesday.)”

At the ground breaking ceremony, Marion County School Board of Education Chair Ann Watson said she was excited about the school, but also thrilled at the supporters who came to the 9:30 a.m. ceremony in the heat.

“I’m so excited about this school,” Watson said. “But, more than ever, though, I’m so happy about the turn-out. I’m so proud of all the people who came out to support their community.”

And, Sadie Dumas, 6, who will be attending the new school a few years after it’s built, said, “I thought it was fun, and I’m excited — but it’s hot!”

The school will update its Web site weekly, McCorkle said, with the progression of the school.