Bridges Prep plans huge building additions as Beaufort school prepares to expand
Bridges Preparatory School is working to add 35,000 square feet to its Boundary Street campus as it prepares to expand to include high school grades.
The school wants to build a two-story addition in front of its current building and another smaller addition, according to plans that went before the Historic District Review Board this month. The existing building will be renovated to accommodate kindergarten through eighth grade classes.
"We want it to be something that's pleasing and attractive to downtown and the community as well," board chairman Dee Matthews said in October. "We want it to be something the communities down there are proud to have."
The school received a $10 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan to fund the new work and expand the campus.
The school will add ninth grade next school year and plan to add a grade a year through 12th. Facilities are currently broken up, with the main school on Boundary Street, a building for grades 2-3 at the Charles Lind Brown Center on Greene Street and a temporary kindergarten and first grade location at the Celadon Community on Lady's Island.
Bridges Prep, a charter school that opened in 2013 and enrolled more than 500 students this fall, bought the former Boys and Girls Club of the Lowcountry building last year.
City planning staff recommended conceptual approval of the plans, submitted by Hilton Head Island architectural firm FWA Group. City planners asked that several areas be addressed, including parking, live oaks to be saved and architectural elements be tweaked.
School officials have said they hope to break ground this winter or early spring. They have until May to get historic review board approval.
Design and construction is expected to take about 18 months, Bridges Prep board member Marty Miley said in October.
The plans come at the end of an eventful year for the fledging school.
In July, principal Benjamin Rollins was fired after 10 days due to discrepancies on his resume. Interim head of school Robert Bohnstengel will continue through the end of the school year after his contract was extended in November.
Follow reporter Stephen Fastenau at twitter.com/IPBG_Stephen. Reporter Rebecca Lurye contributed to this report.
Related content:
- Bridges Prep building new campus with $10 million loan, Oct. 1, 2015
- Updated: Bridges Prep charter school fires new principal, July 10, 2015
- Former James Island charter school principal to lead Bridges Prep, July 29, 2015
This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Bridges Prep plans huge building additions as Beaufort school prepares to expand."