Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
"O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building thee a house for thy holy name comes from thy hand and is all thy own." -Ê1 Chronicles 29:16
Almost doubling its student population, Lakeland Christian Academy has outgrown its old facilities.
"It's not up to the task anymore," said John Urschalitz, vice-chairman of the LCA building board of directors. There were too many students and the old facilities were modular. With 150 students, that was no longer adequate.
More than 15 months ago, LCA began building a new school to house the growing student population. The school is based on an affordable school concept created by Dan Cook of Utah. The school is built using standard available materials. The school negotiates with the contractors for materials and labor.
Instead of the usual tens of millions of dollars needed to build a school, under the affordable school concept, the price tag for the building will be only about $40 per square foot. LCA was a test case for such a project, but now there are 35 schools like it across the country.
The school, once completed, will include a gymnasium, a cafetorium, a computer lab, a science lab, a music room, a library and approximately 15 general classrooms. Six of the classrooms will be on the second story of the building.
Outside, there will be fields for softball, soccer and baseball.
The whole inside of the building will be networked with state-of-the-art Internet connections, said board member Don Clemens.
The room with the highest ceiling in the 58,800-square-foot building will be the cafetorium, which includes a platform and kitchen.
An art room will be a permanent part of the school's curriculum and an art teacher has been hired. "We've had art in the past on a limited basis," said chairman Dave Turner, "but now it's going to be part of the curriculum."
Also hired is a new administrator for the school, David Underwood. His office, along with other administration offices, will be next to the front door.
Bleachers in the new gymnasium will hold 750 fans. "We've never had a gymnasium of our own before," said Urschalitz. The gym will have a full regulation-size basketball court. There will be four locker rooms.
The music room will feature a cathedral ceiling and three practice rooms. The library will be 30 by 60 feet, much larger than LCA's current facilities.
With all the new rooms LCA will have, the board of directors knows that they are able to afford the building only through the generous in-kind gifts they receive. Many local businesses or people have contributed services or materials for free or at cost.
More than 7,215.5 hours have been put in by volunteers from the community.
"That's a tremendous amount, if you turn that into an hourly wage," said Turner. "That's just a tremendous amount."
Once the building is completed and furnished, Urschalitz said, they expect the appraised value of the building to be more than $5 million, though it will cost them only $3.5 million. The cost includes land, building and furnishings. Of the estimated cost, approximately $2.5 million has been raised in cash and pledges for the school. LCA is still seeking to raise $1 million.
Urschalitz said they hope to start classes in the fall, at least in part of the building. Clemens said by the time they move into the building, their intent is to have the building at least funded.
There are "numerous opportunities" for a person or organization to endow a classroom, which would be named for them. "A couple of the ballfields have been endowed. The library has been endowed. The gym is available," said Urschalitz.
LCA is for Christian students in grades 7 to 12. For more information on the building construction, to tours the building or to learn about the school itself, call 267-7265. Enrollment for the next school year is still open.
