By Jessica Coleman -- Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — The School Board approved the final design for the renovation of the old Warren County High School into a middle school last week, following a work session with the architects.

Although there may still be a few minor changes to the plans, the overall design was approved in order to keep the construction timeline on schedule.

"We don't want you to let us go forward until you're completely comfortable with what we're doing," Billy E. Upton, president of Ballou Justice Upton Architects, said during Thursday's work session. "We want to make sure you're totally happy."

The major concern at this point is the tug of war between the application for historical tax credits for the 68-year-old building and the elements of a green, energy-efficient design, said Upton.

"We are fighting for the tax credits, and we have good belief that they will be available," he said. "We're making some pretty good headway."

For instance, the windows on the new 50,000 square-foot addition to the building are different from the windows in the original building, which have to be preserved in order to be considered for the tax credits. The windows in the new portion of the building will be more energy efficient, but are currently smaller, with eight panes, as opposed to the 12-pane windows in the original building. Each classroom in the addition will have two windows.

"I like the difference," said Superintendent Pamela McInnis. "I think they complement each other. I like the way it combines the older part of the building and the more contemporary part."

The architects are also considering what kind of brick to use on the addition to complement the brick on the original structure, which cannot be changed.

"We are trying to keep the brick together," Upton said. "We didn't want to see much of a contrast."

"Our hope, on projects like this, is to find a complementary brick," said Edward Evans, senior associate with the architectural firm. "We're never going to match it."

Another concern at this point in the design process is fire safety. According to state code, the building has to be equipped with sprinklers that can douse the school in 750 gallons of water per minute in case of emergency, said Neal N. Wright, a project manager with Patton Harris Rust and Associates, who is working on the design for the water system. However, the site lacks adequate water capacity.

"The problem we're having is getting enough water," Wright said.

Two options are available — either build a tank to store the water on-site or reroute a fire line from a nearby location within the town. Front Royal would have to approve any changes to the town's water system, and the cost of either option has not yet been factored into the budget for the project.

The School Board also approved a motion at Thursday's meeting to request that the Board of Supervisors submit an application to the Virginia Public School Authority for a general obligation bond for school construction of up to $20 million. The method for financing the renovation has yet to be decided. However, financing through VSPA is the most likely method at this point, reads a School Board document.

* Contact Jessica Coleman at jcoleman@nvdaily.com