The New Olympic High School Capital Improvements Committee


This committee no longer is active. See
Schools, Crime, Medical Facilities were Featured Topics at SCRA Meeting for a report on school construction plans in Steele Creek. Also see CMS School Renovations & New School Projects Info Site.

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The 2007 Mecklenburg County bond package includes over $57 million for projects in Steele Creek:

  •  #5  - New elementary school at Dixie River Road (Berewick) - $16,896,000
  • #17 - New elementary school in York Road/Red Fez Club Road area - $16,896,000
  • #24 - New elementary school on Hamilton Road at Smith Road - $16,896,000
  • #25 - Roofing at Olympic - $385,000
  • #27 - Track and field at Olympic - $935,000
  • #38 - Stadium at Olympic - $5,527,500

This editorial headline in the charlotte Observer pretty much sums it up:

A group of Steele Creek residents has been discussing how to draw the community together to encourage support for area schools, parks, and other facilities. The community needs to speak out to raise awareness of area needs and rally residents behind projects that will enhance the livability of Steele Creek and improve community unity.

The main focus of discussion has been the need for improved athletic facilities at Olympic High School. A report issued in 2004 showed that athletic facilities at Olympic were among the worst in Mecklenburg County. Many facilities are obsolete or missing altogether. The total estimated cost of needed improvements back in 2004 was $5,441,332. The school also needs community support for academic and other programs.

The Steele Creek community is very unique.  We have one high school in this community – a rarity in this city – and it is truly a focal point of the Steele Creek area.  We’re also a naturally diverse community.  We’re one of the few areas in Mecklenburg that has a natural racial diversity, economic diversity, and also an important balance of homes and businesses. We have what other communities are trying to create. 
 
Olympic High School was built nearly 50 years ago, when Steele Creek was largely farmland.  The last 10 years have seen some exciting growth here in this community.  Unfortunately, the facilities at Olympic have not kept pace.
 
If you were to walk the hallways at Olympic, you’d see a building no longer conducive to learning.  There aren’t enough classrooms to hold the students.  There are holes in the floors and ceilings, paint peeling from the walls, and signs of aging everywhere you look.
 
We recognize this is challenge that schools throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg – and indeed throughout the country – are facing.  Our purpose is not to complain.  We’re working to create a path forward.
 
Why hasn't Olympic High School been receiving its share of school renovation funds? Since 1995, CMS has allocated $417 million to school construction and renovations. Of that total, Olympic High School has received a paltry $7 million – less than 2% of the total funds.  That’s $7 million over a 10-year period – that’s not even enough for basic upkeep of facilities.
 
Olympic High School is in crisis mode.  Our student population is projected to surpass 2000 students in September 2007, and the existing facilities are not capable of accommodating this student growth. Our infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating.  Our classrooms are falling apart, our common spaces are unusable, and our athletic fields are a safety hazard to our students and a disgrace to the community.
 
As this group of community leaders looked at the conditions at Olympic, and explored why we’re not getting our share of the school improvement funds, we thought long and hard about ways to give the students at Olympic the tools they need to prepare for the modern workforce.

We realized that we can’t count on CMS alone.  We will continue to fight for every dollar we deserve, and your calls and letters to the Board are crucial. But we’re also going to be tapping into private donors who share our vision of greatness for Olympic High School.  The ultimate goal is to raise $10 million to improve athletic and academic facilities as well as common areas.

The new committee is just beginning. It doesn't have a formal organization or even a name. ("The New Olympic High School Capital Improvements Committee"  is a working name.) However, the group has been officially recognized as a committee of the Steele Creek Residents Association, which is a non-profit Section 501(c)(3) organization, Donations to improve Olympic High School made through the Steele Creek Residents Association are tax-deductible.

See also:

School Board Retains Steele Creek Projects for 2008 Bond Steele Creek News, 7/29/07.

CMS Adopts 2007 Bond Request - 6 Steele Creek Projects Included Steele Creek News, 4/29/07.

Contact School Board to Show Support for Olympic Improvements Steele Creek News, 4/21/07.

2007 School Bond Could Fund Three Elementary Schools in Steele Creek Steele Creek News, 2/21/07.

"We Believe in Olympic Community of Schools" Presentations by Scott Whitfield and Lauren Seborowski, Olympic High School Students, at the February 13, 2007 CMS Board meeting.

"Please Don't Forget Olympic!" Presentation by Blaine Wallace, President of the Olympic High School Sports Booster Club, at the February 13, 2007 CMS Board meeting.

Olympic High School Students Frustrated By CMS Building Plans by WSOC-TV News, February 14, 2007

Mark calandar for Feb. 22 meeting by John Marks, The Lake Wylie Pilot, February 13, 2007

Steele Creek feels passed over by CMS by John Marks, The Lake Wylie Pilot, January 2, 2007

2007 School Bond Could Fund Three Elementary Schools in Steele Creek  Steele Creek News, 2/21/2007
 

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