Governor O’Malley Visits Site of New James M. Bennett High School
Highlights Sustainable Design Features; Tours New School Site with County Executive Pollitt and Salisbury Mayor Tilghman
SALISBURY, MD (August 15, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley, joined by Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt, and Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman, today visited the construction site of the new James M. Bennett High School in Salisbury. The school is currently undergoing an $88 million dollar renovation and is being built with sustainable design features including Energy Star roofing, approximately 600 wells for a geothermal heating and cooling system, and ultra-low flow plumbing systems.
“Protecting our investments in public education and school construction is a critical to providing Maryland’s students with the best education and the best equipment,” said Governor O’Malley. “The new construction of James M. Bennett High School will help address the growing student population, while also minimally impacting the environment with sustainable design features.”
In the last two years, Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown have made a record $5.3 billion investment in public education and nearly $740 million in school construction. Wicomico County has received $21.1 million for school construction, $20.8 million of which went to James M. Bennett High School.
“I am delighted that Governor O’Malley took time to visit the site of our newest and most ambitious school construction project,” said Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt. “He has made an unprecedented commitment of State resources on behalf of public education in Wicomico County. Our community will be stronger for his efforts.”
“I am so pleased that Governor O’Malley has scheduled time to visit James M. Bennett High School to tour the site of the renovated school,” said Mayor Barrie P. Tilghman. “This is County Executive Pollitt’s and my alma mater, and we are both looking forward to sharing the plans for the new chapter in the life of this great Wicomico County School with the Governor.”
Established in 1962, James M. Bennett High School is one of four high schools serving the needs of students in Wicomico County and one of three located in the Salisbury area. It is a comprehensive public senior high school with an enrollment of 1400 in grades nine through twelve. The current high school has 11 portable classrooms and is almost 300 students over capacity. It has not been updated since 1976. The replacement project will provide a new state of the art high school facility to accommodate a growing student population and address the aged infrastructure. Construction began June 2008 and is scheduled to be completed September 2011.
