The Washington County Board of Education voted Tuesday night to OK schematic design and educational specifications for a visual and performing arts school in Hagerstown. The design was approved unanimously by the board with a 6-0 vote. Board member Paul W. Bailey was absent.
The Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, a four-year high school, is scheduled to open in fall 2008, said Roger Giles, director of funded and special programs. Students will take courses and have intensive training in visual arts, music, theater and dance.
The school will occupy and make use of several buildings in downtown Hagerstown, Giles said. One part of its campus will include 27,400 square feet in the former Henry's Theatre and Elks Lodge on Potomac Street.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $7.9 million, which was an increased figure announced at Tuesday's meeting. The cost previously had been estimated at $6.5 million.