Carroll County Public Schools officials say Mount Airy Middle School is in such bad shape, it would be easier and cheaper to build a new school than to upgrade the old.

Superintendent Charles Ecker, at a meeting Feb. 25 with the Board of County Commissioners, recommended construction of a replacement for Mount Airy instead of a renovation.

"It's cheaper and renovation and modernization would cost over 12 percent less than a replacement," Ecker said.

A 110,613-square-foot replacement would cost $31.8 million, Ecker said, and could take 24 months to construct.

Of that, $26.1 million would build the new school and demolish the current building. The remaining $6 million includes architect fees, site development and equipment the state would not pay for, Ecker said.

Ecker figured the state would contribute $12 million, and the county would contribute $19.5 million.

The new school could be built on an existing playground, and the old building would make way for a new playground, he said.

The proposal is going before state committees for review, Ecker said.

At the meeting, architect Jim Determan, of the firm Hord, Coplan and Macht, presented the commissioners with three options to resolve issues at the school.

The school was built in 1956 and an addition was added in 1981. Both sections have problems.

The school is not compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, the school's large wood ceiling needs to be replaced with steel, the main building lacks insulation, there's not enough parking and parents don't have enough room to drop off their children, Determan said.

Even the entire sixth-grade class is in portable classrooms, said Barbara Shreeve, president of Carroll County Board of Education.

"Large portions of the building need to be demolished to create a 21st century learning environment," Determan said.

For instance, students in wheelchairs must navigate narrow hallways and essentially have to go up a hill to get to any classroom, he said.

If the Board of Education and Commissioners agree to renovate the school, it would cost more money and could compromise some classrooms, Determan said.

Nevertheless, Determan presented two renovation options.

Option A would cost $29.4 million and add 116,653 square feet of space and take 30 months to complete.

Option B would cost $29.9 million and add 119,817 square feet, and would take 35 months to complete. That option would force the majority of students into portable classrooms, Determan said.

Following the Feb. 25 presentation, the commissioners and the school board will consider the options before deciding on a plan to include in the county's capital budget.

The county had only a modernization and renovation in its capital budget.

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