Kentucky district wants to replace aging high school with a $146 million campus

The Fayette County (Ky.) district is proposing to spend $146 million on a new Henry Clay High School in Lexington.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that the proposal comes as the aging, existing facility has seen many environmental complaints in recent years.

A snake and a mouse falling from ceilings last year at the school raised safety concerns. District documents say additional infestation complaints involved more vermin, flying birds, ants and a raccoon.

Henry Clay High has been housed in the existing facility since 1970 and underwent a renovation in 2006, the district says.

The district administration presented the proposal to the school board, which has taken no action. District staff are expected to begin preliminary planning on the project late this year.

Board members said they were excited about the possibility of constructing new schools.

Other proposed facility improvements the district is considering for future years:

• 2024: Liberty Road Bus Garage Renovation ($11 million); Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Renovation ($108 million); new elementary on Polo Club Boulevard ($41 million).
• 2025: Beaumont Middle School Renovation ($45 million); Southern Middle School Renovation ($39 million); Winburn Middle School Renovation ($41 million).