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The News Leader - www.newsleader.com - Staunton, Va.
A meeting of the advisory commission for the two Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind on Wednesday will include an early look at what a consolidated Staunton campus might look like.
The other issue on the table will be the implementation of a regional day program to take the place of VSDB-Hampton, said Sen. Emmett Hanger, who co-chairs the commission.
If all goes well, VSDB-Staunton could open as a consolidated state campus in fall 2007, Hanger said. Construction would be completed later.
In a meeting Monday with The News Leader editorial board, Hanger laid out conceptual plans for a consolidated Staunton campus. The plans include the addition of a new academic building at the heart of campus, as well the renovation of seven historic buildings. Another 11 buildings could be declared surplus, opening the door for a mix of public and private development, Hanger said. Two other buildings could be demolished.
Projected construction costs would run about $60 million, a number within range of what the legislature previously approved in an earlier push for consolidation that failed last year when four proposals exceeded the approved cost.
Although some of the details may change as plans progress, the consolidated campus will not use every building on the Staunton property, Hanger said. He suggested a number of possible uses for the surplus buildings, from apartments to state program offices. The consolidated campus would be built to serve about 250 students, well above current enrollment numbers at either school.
A meeting of the advisory commission for the two Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind on Wednesday will include an early look at what a consolidated Staunton campus might look like.
The other issue on the table will be the implementation of a regional day program to take the place of VSDB-Hampton, said Sen. Emmett Hanger, who co-chairs the commission.
If all goes well, VSDB-Staunton could open as a consolidated state campus in fall 2007, Hanger said. Construction would be completed later.
In a meeting Monday with The News Leader editorial board, Hanger laid out conceptual plans for a consolidated Staunton campus. The plans include the addition of a new academic building at the heart of campus, as well the renovation of seven historic buildings. Another 11 buildings could be declared surplus, opening the door for a mix of public and private development, Hanger said. Two other buildings could be demolished.
Projected construction costs would run about $60 million, a number within range of what the legislature previously approved in an earlier push for consolidation that failed last year when four proposals exceeded the approved cost.
Although some of the details may change as plans progress, the consolidated campus will not use every building on the Staunton property, Hanger said. He suggested a number of possible uses for the surplus buildings, from apartments to state program offices. The consolidated campus would be built to serve about 250 students, well above current enrollment numbers at either school.