The Owensboro Public School District is soliciting proposals from qualified partners representing educational institutions, community non-profit organizations, community development agencies, or residential development groups for programming concepts and conceptual design for the redevelopment of the former Boardwalk/Texas Gas property currently owned by the school district.
In 2012, the Owensboro Board of Education entered into an agreement with Riverfront JAM, LLC to purchase the Boardwalk/Texas Gas property at 3800 Frederica Street. The rationale of the board that made the decision to purchase the 45-acre property was that is was an opportunity to acquire the largest site available in the land-locked city school district for future school use. The purchase was also instrumental in helping keep over 200 Boardwalk jobs in Owensboro that relocated to a new downtown office building. The purchase became final on Sept. 16, 2013.
The district originally proposed using the existing 163,000 square-foot building for a middle school. The Kentucky Department of Education rejected those plans under complex state guidelines for schools. In 2013 under new superintendent Dr. Nick Brake, the district proposed a regional partnership to utilize the building for a career and technical education center. Key area partners necessary to make the plan work declined to participate forcing OPS to abandon the use of the building for a tech center.
There will be a pre-submittal meeting of any interested parties wishing to submit a proposal on Dec. 9, 2016, at 9 a.m. at the Owensboro Board of Education, 450 Griffith Ave. The final proposals should be submitted by 4 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2017. The board anticipates accepting the final proposal by Feb. 15.
The full request for proposal is available at owensboro.kyschools.us/. The link is located at the bottom of the web page.
