Construction nearing completion on new APA building

Arendell Parrott Academy’s new classroom building should be open in time for the start of the school year, school officials said Friday.

“We’re hoping to have the rooms to our availability by August 17,” said Hugh Pollock, interim headmaster. He said faculty and staff should be able to set up in time for the school year’s Aug. 23 start date.

Pollock praised the project’s contractor, Farmville-based Farrior and Sons, for being able to complete the building before September.

“They were very accommodating,” he said. “(Farrior president) Bill Farrior was a graduate of the academy, so that probably helps.”

Located adjacent to Mewborne Hall, the building will provide additional classroom space and restrooms for the school’s 330 elementary school students. Mewborne currently houses grades one through three. The 5,000-square-foot, $480,000 addition will allow the academy to add more kindergarten, first, and third-grade classes during the upcoming year and an additional second-grade class in the future.

“We’ve seen an annual increase in demand for independent education at the elementary level,” said Terah Archie, APA spokeswoman.

According to Archie, the academy gained 15 students over the summer, bringing total enrollment to 725. She said the new building will not only accommodate enrollment growth, but allow for class size reduction as well. Archie said the academy hopes to bring classes down from 25 students to 20.

Ground broke on the as-yet unnamed building in early May. As of Friday, exterior construction was complete and workers were painting and finishing the interior. Once construction is done, the building must be inspected before teachers can move in and set up.

Archie said there have been no cost overruns or construction delays.

“The weather has been fantastic,” she added.

When complete, the new building will be the 11th on the academy’s 80-acre campus. APA opened in 1964 with three buildings. Prior to the Mewborne annex, the most recent addition was the Davis Building, which added six elementary school classrooms and a cutting-edge science lab in 2005.

Archie said there are currently no plans for additional expansion. However, she said the academy’s board of directors is expected to put together a long-range plan during the coming year.