FORT PIERCE — Plans to build a new three-story academic building at John Carroll High School moved forward this week after receiving unanimous support from Fort Pierce commissioners, despite concerns from some nearby residents about traffic around the campus.
The proposed project would add a 45,000-square-foot building to the school’s campus, replacing older facilities and portable classrooms currently in use.
Mike McCarty of McCarty Land Planning and Design said the campus has relied on temporary structures to meet its needs.
“There are currently eight portables on the campus in order to accommodate what needs to occur on site,” he said.
School officials said the expansion is aimed at improving educational opportunities while modernizing aging infrastructure.
Corey Heroux, the school’s president, said limited classroom space has constrained the school’s ability to grow certain academic programs.
“Right now, at John Carroll, we’re very limited. Let’s say we wanted to really develop a computer science program. We don’t have enough space to have that sort of program on our campus, so it’s looking to expand those offerings to our students,” she said.
According to project representatives, the new building would be constructed in areas currently occupied by older buildings and portable units, allowing the school to make more efficient use of the site without significantly increasing enrollment.
“So we’re not increasing necessarily the capacity, like we’re not trying to go to a thousand kids at this campus,” McCarty said.
The proposal also includes campus improvements focused on pedestrian access and accessibility.
“We’re improving the landscaping, we’re improving that pedestrian experience on site, we’re adding pedestrian crossings throughout the campus, and most importantly, improving ADA and accessibility,” he said.
Project plans also call for changes to parking and traffic circulation intended to reduce congestion near the school during pickup and drop-off times.
Commissioner Curtis Johnson said the redesign is intended to improve how vehicles move through the property and reduce backups along Delaware Street.
“By redeveloping and reorganizing how you navigate the parking lot, more of those cars will come off of Delaware Street to navigate the drop-off students, pick-up students in their short time on Delaware. It’s literally to get in, to get out, and not staging and stacking to enter and get out of there,” he said.
Still, some nearby residents said traffic remains a significant issue in the area, particularly around the neighboring elementary school.
“In the morning, for an hour every day, it’s impassable. And probably the same in the afternoon,” one resident said. “I went by there at three o’clock today, and there was 20 cars trying to get into the elementary school. It’s not the high school is not the problem. It’s the elementary school, and there is no access for the parents to pick up their children.”
Other residents voiced strong support for the project, including alumni and families connected to the school.
“With this new academic building, is a must-need with its aging infrastructure, and it’s time for those portables to go,” one resident said. “John Carroll is a very important school in Fort Pierce and has served many generations of families, including mine.”
Commissioners ultimately approved the project unanimously.
Commissioner Michael Broderick said the proposal would benefit both the school and the broader community.
“From what I’ve seen, this renovation, expansion project is a great thing for John Carroll, a great thing for San Anastasia, and a great thing for the city of Fort Pierce and its residents,” he said.