Hall County School Board gets a look at Summer 2020 facilities projects

At its regular meeting Monday night, the Hall County School Board got a look at a list of construction projects planned for Summer 2020.

The $14.75 million list includes $1 million for renovations at Ivester Early College that will provide for a healthcare science lab. The money for that project will come from the Melvin Douglas and Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation, while the other projects on the list will be funded by ESPLOST V dollars.

The most expensive project on the list - at $3.8 million - is the next phase of automotive technology facilities at Chestatee High School. 

According to District Superintendent Will Schofield, the program is already in place at the school and students have been taking classes, but they need a facility that will allow for hands-on experience. 

"We've talked about the need for world-class automotive repair and automotive technology...it is unique and it also is an area that we're told over and over again that there's tremendous demand and tremendously well-paying jobs for our young people," Schofield said. 

School board members went ahead and took action on funding for the Chestatee project, voting 4-1 to continue using the services of RLR Architects & Engineers to design the space, since the firm had performed Phase I of the project. Board member Mark Pettit was the lone opposing vote, saying he wanted to explore other firms who might make a better offer to complete the project.

Other projects on the summer list include:

• Creation of the district's first manufacturing lab at West Hall High School - $1 million
• Site improvements and renovation of the learning commons at Spout Springs Elementary School - $1.475 million
• Fire alarm replacement at Martin, Sugar Hill and Chicopee Woods elementary schools - $550,000
• New intercom and safety ecosystem at all seven high schools - $2.5 million
• LED lighting at baseball/softball fields at East Hall, Johnson, North Hall and West Hall high schools - $1.4 million
• HVAC replacement at Academies of Discovery - $1 million
• Miscellaneous small projects district wide - $2 million 

Matt Cox, Executive Director of Facilities and Construction for the Hall County School District, shows school board members the proposed location for a manufacturing lab at West High School. (Photo: B.J. Williams)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/10/845594/hall-county-school-board-gets-a-look-at-summer-2020-facilities-projects