BDS plans for new location of Tyndall Academy
by: Riley Lehman
Plans for a new school on Tyndall Air Force Base are moving forward.
Bay district leaders held a workshop meeting on Tuesday to discuss the next steps for the Tyndall Academy K-8 facility.
The current school is old. It was built in 1950 and has had several upgrades, additions and renovations, including substantial repairs following Hurricane Michael.
The school district’s lease with Tyndall for the campus expires in 2029. The two sides are considering three sites for the new academy. One of them is not on the base.
Before selecting a location, they’ll commission an acoustic study.
“What we need to do is make sure that we have the sound attenuation in place to help mitigate what’s taking place from the aircraft that are flying off the runways, which is right across the street from where the proposed one of the proposed sites are. Sound attenuation is very important as we want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing to help provide an environment safe for learning for all of our students,” Bay District Schools Superintendent Mark McQueen said.
Then the school district will need to complete an environmental study, acquire a lease and get the funding, all before construction can begin in three years.
Tyndall Academy currently serves about 1,000 students. Tyndall officials are anticipating more personnel to be stationed at the base over the next five years.