(BRADENTON, FL - April 9, 2008) School Board members Barbara Harvey, Bob Gause and Harry Kinnan joined Superintendent Dr. Roger Dearing, Palmetto Mayor Larry Bustle and other local officials Wednesday morning April 9, 2008 to unveil plans for a new Palmetto Elementary School. The plans call for the new school to be built directly south of 12th St. W. in Palmetto. The new school site is bordered on the west by 17th Ave. W.; on the east by 15th Ave. Dr. W.; and on the south by 10th St. W.

The proposed site is currently home to a Boys and Girls Club of Manatee County and the North River American Little League complex. The Boys and Girls Club will remain at its present location while the little league will be relocated to a location further north, near Blackstone Park. School District officials hope the new school can be completed by early 2010.

“We've been working diligently for close to five years with officials of the City of Palmetto, Manatee County and other agencies to find a new home for Palmetto Elementary,” Dr. Dearing said. “We're very excited about this current proposal because we believe it will not only serve the interest of our students, but the interest of the entire community.”

Efforts to rebuild Palmetto Elementary have been complicated because there is no available land to build a new school at the present site, located at 834 7th St. W. In addition, the cost of locating and constructing a portable school while the new school was being rebuilt was prohibitive.

The current plans are the product of a collaborative effort by the School Board, the City of Palmetto, Manatee County, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County, Just for Girls of Manatee County, North River American Little League and the Manatee Fruit Company. Representatives of all of those entities were at Wednesday's unveiling.

The new Palmetto Elementary School will be a two-story structure covering approximately 100,000 square feet. The school will be built to house a capacity of 823 students. The cost of the new school is expected to be approximately $21 million. Hoffman Architects will design the new school and NDC Construction will be the construction manager on the project.

The current Palmetto Elementary was initially built at its present location in 1961. A school has been located on that property dating back to 1896.