Michael Schipp of design firm Fanning Howey talks about parts of Tippecanoe Valley High School’s planned redesign at the Tippecanoe Valley School Board’s public work session on Thursday, Sept. 16, at the high school. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

AKRON — Plans for the redesign of Tippecanoe Valley High School are continuing.

At its public work session on Thursday, Sept. 16, at TVHS, the Tippecanoe Valley School Board heard an update from Project Manager Michael Schipp of Fanning Howey, the selected design firm for the project. Also at the meeting were The Skillman Corp. Senior Vice President Scott Cherry and Senior Project Manager Tom Smith. The Skillman Corp. will be handling the project’s construction management.

Earlier this year, the board approved completing the renovation. An earlier estimate has the project costing more than $14 million. The project will be financed by bonds, and there won’t be an increase in taxes due to it.

Schipp discussed with the board the design and timeline as it stands now.

Fanning Howey’s plan as of now includes bid documents going out before Christmas, bids being received on Feb. 1, 2022, and construction starting in March 2022.

Schipp said Fanning Howey has met with TVHS Principal Brandon Kresca, TVHS staff and TVSC Superintendent Blaine Conley among others to get feedback and give updates. The design now includes an auditorium seating more than 640 people and 400-seat field house with four courts and a three-lane track and expanded agriculture space.

COVID-19 Policies

During the work session, Conley gave a brief statement regarding the corporation’s COVID-19 policies. He noted that Burket Educational Center and TVHS switched to online learning for a week recently “due to the number of quarantine situations.”

“TVSC will remain mask-optional for students and staff,” said Conley. “We’ll continue to monitor cases as we’ve done in the past. Our school corporation continues to report our cases to the Indiana State Department of Health and we appreciate our Valley family and the community’s support and understanding.”

The board’s regular meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, at Mentone Elementary School.