In consultation with her family, the Episcopal School of Jacksonville will renovate the office of the late Head of School Dale Regan into a science laboratory.
Regan was killed there almost six months ago, on March 6. Police said fired Spanish teacher Shane Schumerth, 28, shot 63-year-old Regan and then killed himself.
Plans filed with the City show that the vacant 800-square-foot former principal’s office will be renovated into a science lab.
Those plans show that the office is within a structure that surrounds a courtyard. The office is between an existing science lab and an existing learning resource center.
“It was a very well thought out decision for what we do with that space. It involved her family, and faculty and staff input as well. They have been part of our discussions,” said Meg Sacks, director of marketing at Episcopal School.
“We had to take into consideration what the building could do, so working with her family and working with what we had, we decided the science room would be fitting,” she said. “Dale was a consummate teacher at heart.”
Regan began teaching English at Episcopal in 1978 and became head of school in 2006.
Elkins Constructors Inc. is the contractor for the project. R. Dean Scott Architects Inc. is the architect and Baker Klein Engineering is the consulting engineer.
Construction could start in September and be completed by the Christmas holidays, according to Elkins.
Regan’s office will not be recognized for its past.
“It will be a totally different space when renovations are done,” Sacks said.
Episcopal is planning the “Dale D. Regan Plaza at the Great Oak” to memorialize Regan.
“Any donations to the Dale Regan Memorial Fund will be used to plan and build the plaza around the great oak,” said Sacks. The dedication is planned for March.
She said that after Regan’s memorial service, Episcopal clergy blessed all of the buildings on the campus.
The current acting head of school’s office is in an outer office building. Sacks said she is not sure if the new head will remain in that office when he or she joins the school next summer.
Sacks said the school’s board of trustees search committee engaged the Wickenden Associates search firm in May to identify a new head of school.
Wickenden, based in Princeton, N.J., was selected from among three firms. It also was used in 1997 when current acting Head of School Charley Zimmer was hired.
Regan was Zimmer’s associate head of school and she succeeded him when he retired.
Sacks said Wickenden created an “opportunity statement” in late spring after interviews with faculty, staff, parents, administrators and the board.
The statement outlines what the school believes are the key characteristics and qualities necessary in the next head of school, she said.
Sacks said the schedule is for the board’s search committee to meet in October. Committee members will review the credentials of the applicants and select a group of semifinalists, who will be interviewed on campus in mid-October.
She said three or four finalists could be selected by November. Those candidates will return to Episcopal for a couple of days to meet with constituent groups.
The board is expected to announce its choice early next year and the new head of school should be on campus by July.
Homeless day center
Mayor Alvin Brown told Women Business Owners of North Florida members Monday night that a daytime center for homeless people was in the works, but didn’t elaborate. “We’re going to have a day center up and running by the end of the year,” he said.
Waffle House OK’d, KFC plans 4 remodels
• The City approved construction for Waffle House at 7894 103rd St. The construction cost for the 1,635-square-foot restaurant is shown as $210,000.
• KFC intends to remodel at least four of its Jacksonville locations. Plans filed so far show that the “KFC Vision 3.0 Modern Legacy” remodel program is in line for its stores at 4201 Oldfield Crossing Drive in Mandarin, 8003 Merrill Road in Arlington, 1146 Dunn Ave. in North Jacksonville and 1007 Lane Ave. S. on the Westside. Each is a $100,000 project.
Navy Federal Credit Union, Dollar General, Publix projects planned
• Navy Federal Credit Union plans to build a branch at 10480 Avenues Walk Blvd. The construction cost of the 3,500-square-foot building is shown as $975,000.
• Dollar General plans a store at 13807 N. Main St. The City is reviewing plans to demolish a building at the site to make way for construction of a Dollar General. The Hatch Group is listed as the contractor.
• Look for more retail stores at the Publix-anchored shopping center at 5858 Atlantic Blvd. Plans show space in the center will be split to create five units of 891 to 1,851 square feet of space for retail and business use. It’s a $350,000 project.
Nature’s Table opening
El Ad Florida LLC announces that Nature’s Table Co. will open its Nature’s Table Café to the public at 10:30 a.m. next Friday in the second-floor dining area at EverBank Center at 301 W. Bay St. Downtown.
Firehouse’s Fox speaking to summit
RestaurantNews.com reported that Firehouse Subs CEO Don Fox will take part in a “CEO Roundtable” at the close of the Fast Casual Executive Summit Oct. 21-23 in San Diego. He will be joined by Frank Paci of McAlister’s Deli, Phil Friedman of Salsaritas, J. Dean Loring of Burger Lounge and David Rutkauskas of Beautiful Brands International, the company behind Camille’s Sidewalk Café, FreshBerry, Dixie Cream Donut Co. and other restaurant chains.
In all, 12 restaurant CEOs are scheduled to be presenters or panelists at the 7th annual summit, presented by FastCasual.com.
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