- September 16, 2024
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The new Tomoka Elementary will cost the district over $1.2 million less than expected.
The Volusia County School Board approved two change orders for the school's construction project via its consent agenda at the Dec. 12 meeting. The change orders are a result of the district purchasing materials directly for sales tax savings.
The construction for the school's rebuild at its site at 999 Old Tomoka Road in Ormond Beach was previously estimated to cost $49.3 million. WELBRO Building Corporation is building the new campus.
School Board member Carl Persis said that the project is ahead of schedule.
"Every time I drive by, it's a full crew there," Persis said. "... They're just working, working, working all the time."
The district initially expected construction to be finished sometime in July 2024. Persis said teachers may be able to move in during the summer, ahead of the new school year in the fall.
Demolition of the former school campus, which opened in 1968, began in June. The school's students and faculty are currently housed at the former Osceola Elementary site on the beachside.
"It's going to be there in the fall, if everything continues to go well," Persis said. "But that would be an amazing timeline. That's one year."
School Board Chair Jamie Haynes agreed. Construction for Beachside Elementary, for example, began in August of 2021 and the school opened its doors in January 2023.
"We like these one-year timelines," Haynes said. "It's been a long time since we've ever had a one-year timeline."
