The Lowndes County School Board is presenting another bond issue to voters.
During a special called meeting Friday morning, the board voted 3-2 to try a second bond attempt next year. Board member Wes Barrett made the motion with member Bobby Barksdale seconding. The motion passed with Barrett, Barksdale and Jane Kilgore in favor. Board members Brian Clark and Jacqueline Gray were opposed.
Clark said he felt voters had already spoken when they voted down a $47 million bond issue in August. The bond issue would have paid for a new high school at New Hope, as well as a new vocational center for county students and other capital improvements throughout the district.
On Friday, the board did not discuss what issues will be presented to voters, vowing to do that at a later, undetermined date. The bond issue, which could be more or less than the prior $47 million bond issue, could be taken to voters in February or May, the board said.
During the meeting, the board heard from architect Joey Henderson, as well as bond consultant Jim Young. Young told the board that a bond issue was the best option for the district from a financial standpoint.
Henderson updated the board on several projects currently underway within the district. According to Henderson, the lowest bid on the new Caledonia Elementary school is $20,547,000. Preparing the site would cost an estimated $300,000. Clark suggested taking the $300,000 from the $640,000 allotted toward purchasing land intended for the vocational center and applying it towards the new Caledonia school. Clark noted that the district does not currently have the funds to build the career tech center, which was Phase II of the district’s master plan for construction projects.
Barrett objected to that idea, saying buying the land was part of Phase I of the district’s master plan and the board needed to follow through. The piece of property Clark was referring to is 12.69 acres located off of Lehmberg Road. Owned by Lott Ventures, it has been appraised by the district for $430,000 and the owner is currently developing the property to make it suitable for building.
The motion failed 2-3 with Barrett, Barksdale and Gray opposed.
Lowndes County School District Superintendent Lynn Wright introduced a new piece of property to the board for the proposed vocation center. Located at the corner of Highway 12 and Highway 50, Wright said he sought out the property on his own.
Barrett then suggested the board order an appraisal of the new property. Gray asked the district’s business administrator, Lotis Johnson, how much money the board had spent on the property search, including appraisals, for the vocation center. Johnson told her the board has spent $37,000 to date. The board voted to inform the owner of the Lott property that they were looking at other parcels of land but were still interested in his while they conducted an appraisal on the piece of property Wright introduced. Johnson said previous land appraisals have cost approximately $2,000 dollars. The motion passed 4-1 with Gray opposed.
Construction on the New Hope sewer project is also running over budget with firm Neel-Schaffer expecting to have to pay homeowners an estimated $400,000 for easements. The project will cost the district $1,788,000, Henderson said. The project was originally slated to cost 1.2 million. Neel-Schaffer representatives will be at the December board meeting to update the board on expected costs. The board voted to wait until the December board meeting to make any decisions regarding the project.
The field house at New Hope is underway and on schedule, Henderson said. The field house is expected to be completed by May, 2015.
The board’s next meeting is Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Caledonia High School.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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