Groundbreaking ceremony held this week for new Durham School of Arts campus

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Durham School of Arts (DSA) took place Friday, starting at 9:30 a.m.

Speakers included district Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis, Chair of Durham school board Millicent Rogers, and Chair of the Board of County Commissioners Jeff Sandeen.

The school is relocating from Duke Street to a new site on Homestead Road in North Durham. The renderings show that the new location with more resources allows the district to increase enrollment.

This development is part of the Durham Public Schools' 10-year Capital Improvement Plan.

In 2020, the school board budgeted for renovations and new schools as part of its improvement plan. Other new schools include Murray-Massenburg Elementary, Lyons Farm Elementary and Northern High School.

The school board decided to build a new DSA school after research showed it would be more cost-effective than renovating the current campus. The existing campus was built over 100 years ago.

WATCH | Construction moves forward on new Durham School of Arts: 'Good idea to start over'

The current Durham School of the Arts was built more than 100 years ago.

However, rising construction costs driven by inflation hindered several renovation plans in the school district.

"Unfortunately, the money we estimated is just not enough. So what we're doing is shifting some of those priorities to make use of the $423 million bond awarded in 2022," Fred Davis, an architect and Senior Executive Director of Building Services with Durham Public School, said in 2023

Leaders said they will prioritize specific projects, including the new DSA campus, and then move on to other projects in the improvement plan.

Construction is set to be complete by fall of 2027.

WATCH | DPS blames inflation for delaying district's renovation plans

Durham Public Schools failed to budget enough money to complete needed renovations. The district blames inflation and says it was unavoidable.