South-Western City Schools are on schedule to break ground sometime in the spring on phase 1 of its Ohio School Facilities Commission Project.

On Monday, June 25, the Board of Education heard a presentation from Mike Dingeldein of SHP Leading Design, the project's architect, updating board members on the process.

"We've made some enormous progress so far this spring," Dingeldein said. "Our projects are slated and sized. ... We know almost every place we're going to build with the exception of a new site for North Franklin Elementary."

The $250 million project involves the replacement of 13 elementary school buildings; the replacement of Franklin Heights High School; combining Finland and East Franklin Elementary Schools into one building; and minor renovations and technology upgrades to Buckeye Woods and Darby Woods elementary schools.

Through the OSFC, the state will be paying half the cost.

"It is an absolute 50-50 split," Dingeldein said.

The project currently has a notice of conditional approval from the OSFC and will go before the commission on July 12, for actual approval, Dingeldein said.

This summer, Dingeldein said, due diligence will be conducted at all the sites including traffic studies, geothermal well tests, soil bearing, zoning and topographic surveys. Additionally, community feedback will be solicited regularly about the potential designs for the new buildings.

A kit of common building "parts" will also be assembled to utilize as best suits each site.

While the different sites will be the same size and comprised of the same type buildings -- classroom wing and gym wing, for example -- they will be arranged differently to best utilize the given site where they will be built, Dingeldein said.

Beginning last week, Dingeldein said the project is on a 33-week delivery cycle.

"After that 33 weeks, we'll be ready to bid our first-phase buildings in the spring of 2013," Dingeldein said. "That's our rough look at it."

Dingeldein also identified three schools as potential multi-phase swing sites, or sites that could be used that accommodate a new building while allowing the existing structure to be utilized by another school under construction, giving the district some flexibility.

"Not only will it support a new building, it'll support a new building with the old building in place," he said.

The three schools identified as potential swing sites were Prairie Norton, Harmon and Monterrey elementary schools.

Other sites, such as J.C. Sommer Elementary could potentially be utilized as self-swing sites.

Another update on the project to the school board is expected in late September or early October.