Beyond the Bell (BTB) program will soon have a dedicated space at Hurd Barrington Elementary after the Newman Crows Landing Board of Trustees voted to begin pursuing a building project in a special meeting last Tuesday.

The building will be 48-by-40 feet and will provide space for the program’s belongings and materials, according to Alysonn Cassidy, the director of expanded learning for NCLUSD.

The building will be like a “home base” for the BTB, Cassidy said.

Cassidy also said there are 20 staff members who work with more than 100 Hurd Barrington students each weekday. BTB appointed a program-high 80 employees in August.

The project will initially start out with a 24-by-40 foot modular classroom and two 12-by-40 foot center modules, according to a document.

Since the project is for BTB, its funding will come from the Early Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P). Biddings for other tasks such as the underground utility, landscaping and a sidewalk will be held in the future, said District Superintendent Justin Pruett.

It's expected to cost more $612,000 and the building will be constructed by Stockton-based Enviroplex Inc, according to a document.

Since the project is funded through ELO-P, the building, Pruett said, can not be used as a classroom for five years following its completion. “In five years, it will actually give us two classrooms during the instructional day to be able to use if we chose to,” he said.

Talks for the project began more than five years once ELO-P funding became available, Cassidy said. During discussions, Pruett said one idea proposed by BTB staff was to buy homes as a space. That idea was short-lived as “it would be not appropriate for a school to have a house within the community,” he added.

“That’s when we started looking at using those funds because again they had them to put our own building for the correct purpose,” Pruett said.

Another factor in the decision was Hurd Barrington being one the more recent district sites to open, as it opened on Aug. 15, 2011. Cassidy said the site had the existing infrastructure needed.

While it’s still in the early stages, Cassidy said she hopes the project is not only a reflection of the staff's patience of waiting for their own space, but brings in excitement for Hurd Barrington students when it becomes available as a classroom to use.

Pruett said the project is “a win for the district” and the local community.