Homestead Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air, MD consists of three (3) separate structures. The entire campus consists of approximately 115,458 square feet. The Wakefield school building was constructed in 1958 and consists of approximately 58,425 square feet. In 1966, the Homestead building was constructed, which consist of approximately 52,628 square feet. A remote kindergarten building was constructed near the Wakefield building in 1968 and consists of approximately 4,585 square feet. The three building school is aged, antiquated, inefficient and poses many safety concerns. Additionally, forty feet of elevation separates Wakefield from Homestead adding to the complexity of operating a three building campus. The site also has stormwater issues, traffic congestion without a separate bus drop off loop, aged playground equipment, and a 50 year underground storage tank. The building equipment is at its end of life, there are building leaks, lighting issues, major HVAC concerns, and lack of ADA compliance. The program space for educational purposed are inadequate. A revised scope study recommending completely\ replacing the Homestead/Wakefield Elementary school on the site of the Wakefield building was approved by the BOE in February 2021. The scope study also analyzed the facility capacity in coordination with the balancing enrollment study. It was determined that a capacity of 1,100 students was needed to address capacity concerns in the area. Education specifications have been developed and approved by the local BOE and MSDE. The project is currently in design and construction to begin in 2021. This request is for the first year of construction funding. This project will be the number 1 priority for the State portion. This project is included in the county's fy 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program. As of September 16, 2024, further details regarding construction and completion timelines have not been released. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.
.webp)
