Groundbreaking for new Pace K-8 school moved to Oct. 11

PACE — Santa Rosa County District Schools will host a groundbreaking for a new Pace K-8 school.

The groundbreaking for the new kindergarten through eighth grade school is scheduled in October.

“We are delighted to begin construction on a new school in the Pace community serving students from kindergarten through eighth grade," said Dr. Karen Barber, superintendent for Santa Rosa County District Schools. "This will be our second K-8 and its modern layout and thoughtful design will provide new opportunities and innovative strategies to our children.”

Tentatively scheduled for Oct. 4, the groundbreaking was moved to 11 a.m. Oct. 11 at 3354 Wallace Lake Road in Pace due to inclimate weather.

This rendering shows the new kindergarten through eight grade school being built at Wallace Lake in Pace.

Here are a few facts about the new school:

  • Located on a 33-acre site, the two-story school will include 25 primary classrooms, 20 intermediate classrooms and a covered physical education building.
  • At capacity, it will serve 1,182 students.
  • Construction costs of approximately $39,400,000 are funded by $26,355,000 in local option sales tax revenue, $15,000,000 from certificates of participation funding and $450,000 from millage (property taxes).
  • The project team includes: DAG Architects; McKim & Creed, civil engineers; Berube Leonard, structural engineers; Schmidt Consulting Group, MEP engineers; and Culpepper Construction.

"Currently the schools in Pace, which include S.S. Dixon Primary, S. S. Dixon Intermediate and Sims Middle, are at or above capacity," said Joey Harrell, assistant superintendent for administrative services. "The Wallace Lake K-8 is in the ideal location to help alleviate this issue, as well as accommodate future growth."

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Groundbreaking for new Pace K-8 school moved to Oct. 11