NORFOLK, Va. — Wednesday evening, Norfolk school board members collectively voted to move forward with plans to build a new Maury High School and repurpose the historic original building into apartments.
"The school will be built as a brand new building, and the original building, what we now know as Maury High School, will be renovated, and the history of that building will be preserved," School Board Member Noelle Gabriel told 13News Now. "The historical aspects of the building, particularly the 1911 and the 1929 building portions."
The school district said, "The next step is interim contract negotiations with Heartland Construction, starting in January 2024, followed by a public comment period. If both interim and comprehensive contracts are approved by the School Board and Norfolk City Council, [the] design for the new Maury High School could begin in November 2024, with a possible opening date of August 2029. The project includes up to $30 million in capital improvements plan funds from the Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP)."
School Board Member and Maury High School alumni Carlos Clanton said the new high school will be close to the current school.
"The new high school will be built behind the current structure on where the baseball field is currently right now. And so individuals can go online to the school board's website and actually see the schematics and see the visualization of that," said Clanton.
Board members hope to expand the school's medical sciences program and athletic fields and create a better learning environment for students.
"I am a proud Maury High School alum, and I am so excited about this opportunity for all the future Commodores who will walk through those doors," said Clanton.
School board members did not mention when construction of the new apartments will start.