IRMO, S.C. — Lexington-Richland School District Five held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a new Administrative and Professional Development Center on the district’s Irmo campus.
The new administrative and professional development building will be located next to the current district office on Dutch Fork Road. Superintendent Akil Ross said the project is a natural extension of the current site on property the district already owns and is meant to bring district staff together under one roof.
Ross said employees have been using the district’s current office and portables on Dutch Fork Road since 1975. He recalled that part of the building burned in 1974 and that the remaining section became the district office still used today.
Funding for the center will flow from the district’s 2024 Bond Referendum, Ross said. Bond Project Manager Steve Kane, who has worked for the district for 47 years, said the system has grown from eight schools when he was hired in 1982 to 23 schools with several satellite offices for district personnel.
Board Chair Kimberly Snipes said the project is part of broader bond investments in schools and sports fields, not only administrative space. The estimated completion date for the new site is January 2029.
District leaders said the building will also support professional development for teachers and staff and create room for collaboration and community events once construction is finished.
