April 15, 2024 Update:
Dear BES Families,
We hope you had a great weekend. We are writing to keep you informed on the construction of a replacement elementary school at the Beaverdam Elementary School site.
Please be advised that
at its meeting on Thursday, April 18, the Hanover County Planning Commission will consider the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application that was filed by the Hanover County School Board for the replacement school. The CUP presentation to the Planning Commission is an important next step in the process of seeking review and approval of the site plan for the construction of a replacement elementary school. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Board Room of the Hanover County Government Administration Building (7516 County Complex Road, Hanover, VA 23069).
The meeting is open to the public. As always, more information on the BES construction project can be found
on our website.
Thank you.
Hanover County Public Schools
February 15, 2024 Update:
Dear BES Families, Faculty, and Staff,
I hope you are having a great week. I am writing today to keep you informed of the next steps for
the proposed replacement of our school building.
The Hanover County School Board has submitted a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application to the Hanover County Planning Department to request review and approval of the site plan for the construction of a replacement elementary school at the Beaverdam Elementary School (BES) site.
As part of this process,
Hanover County Public Schools is hosting a Hanover County Planning Department informational meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27 in the BES cafeteria to share an overview of the proposed site plan and provide an opportunity to ask questions. Students, families, faculty and staff, and community members are welcome to attend.
As always, if you have any questions about BES or your child, please feel free to reach out directly to me. For questions about this project specifically, please email
[email protected].
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Glynda Smith
Principal
Beaverdam Elementary School
January 31, 2024 Update:
Dear Families,
I hope you are having a great week. I am writing today to update you on our school’s planned construction project.
At last night’s School Board meeting, Dr. Michael Gill, Superintendent of Schools, presented his proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget and part of that presentation included the proposed five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
Included in the proposed plan is funding for the replacement of our school building, rather than renovations. If approved, construction would take place over the next two school years with a targeted 2026-27 school year opening.
As you know, at its December meeting, the School Board reached consensus that its desire is to move forward with plans to replace our building rather than renovate our school following a presentation from our architect, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates (CRA), outlining the two options. The full presentation can be accessed
on BoardDocs.
While these plans are still preliminary and there are many steps that need to be taken before this plan becomes reality, I hope you will join me in my excitement for this potential investment in the future of our school, which would serve generations to come.
The School Board is scheduled to vote on the CIP in February before it is then considered by the Board of Supervisors. The School Board is scheduled to vote on the adoption of the budget and CIP this spring after the Board of Supervisors votes to adopt its budget.
I assure you that we will continue to keep you informed throughout this process. This is an exciting opportunity for our school and I look forward to working with you should these plans materialize.
As always, if you have any questions about our school, please feel free to reach out to me. For questions about the proposed budget and the associated Capital Improvement Plan, please email
[email protected].
Thank you for your support and enthusiasm.
With gratitude,
Dr. Glynda Smith
Principal
Beaverdam Elementary School
December 14, 2023 Update:
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
I hope you are having a great week. I am writing today to keep you informed on the upcoming construction of our school.
As I shared with you in October, all options related to the future of BES are under consideration, including the possibility of replacing BES rather than renovating the current school building. We continue to work closely with our architect, Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates (CRA), to assess our school and are moving forward with the process to chart the best path forward.
Accordingly, at Tuesday night’s School Board meeting, CRA presented an update on our construction project to the Board. The full presentation can be accessed
on BoardDocs. As you will note, CRA presented two options (renovation or replacement) to the Board.
The School Board reached consensus that its desire is to move forward with plans to replace our building rather than renovate our school.
What comes next? While this consensus was reached and the School Board supports a replacement of BES rather than renovation, the additional funding required to support this project would ultimately come through the development of the school division’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) as part of the annual budget process. Tuesday’s consensus simply requests that HCPS include additional funding to support the replacement in the proposed CIP rather than the renovation.
Dr. Michael Gill, Superintendent of Schools, is scheduled to introduce the CIP for consideration next month and the School Board is scheduled to vote on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and CIP in February before it is then considered by the Board of Supervisors. The School Board is scheduled to vote on the adoption of the budget and CIP this spring after the Board of Supervisors votes to adopt its budget.
In short, a final determination of replacing our school building will not be made until the spring at the conclusion of our annual budget process.
We will continue to keep you informed throughout this process and appreciate your ongoing engagement and support during this exciting time for our school community. If you have any questions about the project, please email
[email protected].
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Glynda Smith
Principal
Beaverdam Elementary School
October 25, 2023 Update:
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
We hope you are having a great week. We are writing today to remind you of the upcoming meeting regarding the proposed renovation of BES and to provide you with additional information about the project.
Virtual Meeting
As a reminder,
we are hosting a virtual input session on Thursday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m. To access and participate in this meeting, simply click on
this link using a computer or mobile device. The input session, led by Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates (CRA), the architectural firm we are working with specifically on the design of this project, will include information about the timeline of the project, an opportunity to provide input on the design, and a time for questions.
Renovation versus Replacement
As we have shared with you previously,
an independent facilities study commissioned by the School Board and completed by RRMM Architects in 2018 recommended a significant renovation of BES. This study also recommended significant elements of new construction for parts of the building that could not be renovated. While we continue to proceed down the path identified in the study,
we recognize that there have been several questions regarding replacing the entire school building as compared with a combination of renovating and new construction.
Please note that all options related to the future of BES remain under consideration, including the possibility of replacing BES rather than renovating the current school building. We are committed to honoring our well-established process by continuing to work closely with our current architect, CRA, to assess BES and make recommendations for the best path forward. This process includes continuing to comprehensively evaluate the necessary factors, including the current condition of BES, cost, renovation timeline, and much more.
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We will continue to keep you informed throughout this process and appreciate your ongoing engagement during this exciting time for the BES community.
As always, additional information about the project can be found
on the HCPS website. If you have any questions about BES, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Smith. For specific questions about the project or the input sessions, please email
[email protected].
Thank you for your participation in this process and for your enthusiasm about this project.
Sincerely,
Dr. Glynda Smith, Principal, Beaverdam Elementary School
Ed Buzzelli, Director of Facilities, Hanover County Public Schools
Original September 28, 2023 Message:
Dear BES Families,
I hope you are having a great week. I write today with an important update on the renovation of our school.
As you may know,
a facilities study commissioned by the School Board in 2018 recommended a significant renovation of our school building. In response, the Board prioritized our project in its list of recommended replacement and/or renovation projects.
In an exciting development, the five-year Capital Improvement Plan approved by the Hanover County School Board earlier this year includes the planned renovation of our school, advancing the schedule for our construction project. This represents a significant investment in the future of our school building that will serve generations to come. The renovation of our school building is expected to take place over the next three school years with completion prior to the 2026-27 school year. The design phase of the project is already underway.
As part of the process for our renovation, HCPS and Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates, the Charlottesville-based architectural firm that is overseeing the design of our renovation, are seeking input through a series of meetings with students, faculty, staff, and our broader community.
The meetings will be held as follows:
- Student Focus Group: Monday, October 9 at BES
- Faculty and Staff: Monday, October 9 at BES
- Community: Monday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m. at BES
- Community: Thursday, October 26 at 6:30 p.m. (Virtual); more information on this meeting will be shared in the near future.
I greatly look forward to your input as part of this process and I hope that you will join me in my excitement for this wonderful opportunity for our school and community.
Please be assured that we will continue to keep you updated throughout the duration of this project, including via
this specific website that has been created to provide additional information on our renovation.
As always, if you have any questions about our school, please feel free to reach out to me. For specific questions about the renovation or the input sessions, please email
[email protected].
Thank you for your continued support, participation, and enthusiasm.
With gratitude,
Dr. Glynda Smith
Principal
Beaverdam Elementary School