The new Watson Chapel High School will feature an Alumni Park at the front of the campus, thanks to a favorable vote from the Watson Chapel School District board Monday night.
The board voted 7-0 to continue hiring Lewis Architects Engineers and Baldwin & Shell Construction Co. to complete the Alumni Park, which engineers estimate to cost no more than $600,000. Remaining money from the district’s building and associated project funds will help with the cost, as well as potential corporate sponsorships.
“I reached out to a couple of jobs trying to see if they would be interested in trying to help sponsor this,” WCSD Superintendent Keith McGee said. “I’d love to tie this to a business community to help with this part. The reason being is that I think it’s a pillar for the Watson Chapel community, not just the school district, coming off the interstate (530) right onto (U.S.) 79 on Camden Road. In my mind, I envision that this Alumni Park will become a tourist attraction.”
Representatives from the engineering and construction firms shared updates with the board following their vote last month to proceed with looking into costs toward Alumni Park. The outdoor addition will include a stone marquee for the high school with historic stone markers of graduating classes from about 1929-72, according to McGee. He added alumni and community members will be welcome to hold gatherings tied to school events.
“I just know Watson Chapel has a lot of very rich tradition and history that we need to really capture, and I just think we need to continue to feed that excellence into our scholars today and continue to use that motivation,” McGee said. “I think there are so many outstanding alumni — I don’t want to start naming anyone that’s here — so many people that I’ve met recently. This is a truly a huge accomplishment in my opinion.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The WCSD board also unanimously approved McGee’s application for state Partnership Program funding to build a new cafeteria at Coleman Elementary and renovate the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at the current Watson Chapel High, which will become Watson Chapel Junior High in July.
The Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation informed the district last month both projects were “academic in nature and necessary to support safe and efficient learning environments.” The Jan. 14 letters from the division, however, do not guarantee funding for its 2027-29 funding cycle, and McGee said he expects an official letter of funding to come from the division by September.
The division, under the Arkansas Department of Education, estimated a cost of $1,213,539 and projected $1,049,958 in partnership funding for the cafeteria. The 4,423-square foot meal hall would link two separate classroom buildings across from the current cafeteria, which will serve preschoolers beginning in August as second grade moves to Edgewood Elementary.
This will prevent students in grades 3-5 from crossing the street to eat their meals, a move McGee has often said poses a risk. As part of the unanimous vote, the board also authorized McGee to reach out to the Pine Bluff City Council and petition to have the portion of Redbud Street that meets West 13th Avenue closed in order to build the new cafeteria.
The estimated cost for the HVAC system to cover 92,059 square feet is $3,118,959 with projected partnership funding of $2,698,536.