The Fayette County Board of Education at the March 24 meeting will consider a number of facilities upgrades which would be funded by Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) revenues.
ESPLOST revenues are customarily expended on a number of different projects such as technology, textbooks, facilities upgrades and school bus purchases. Up for discussion on March 24 will be the consideration of a number of facilities upgrades. If given the go-ahead for one or more of the potential projects, school system staff will obtain bids and bring them back to the board for an up or down vote.
Aside from a half-dozen capital outlay projects identified previously in the 5-year facilities plan and using state and local dollars that will also have to be approved later on an individual basis, the school board at the March 24 meeting will hear proposals on 19 ESPLOST projects that total $8.825 million.
The largest of the projects is the proposed bus shop and transportation building, known as the “bus barn,” to be relocated from downtown Fayetteville to the Goza Road complex on Ga. Highway 85 South adjacent to Whitewater High School. The project comes with an estimated price tag of $3.5 million with up to an additional $1 million for site work, if desired.
The board will also consider the McIntosh High School Connector project which carries an estimated price of $900,000. The project involves the installation of an enclosed walkway above the administrative area to provide for easy transit between the two classroom buildings while providing some additional office space and a vestibule area inside the front door.
Another potential project at $500,000 would have stormwater drainage installed at the Lafayette Education Center.
Also estimated at $500,000 would be the installation of 10 tennis courts at the county’s high schools.
The remaining potential projects come with price tags ranging from $50,000 to $300,000. They include:
• Rising Starr Middle School/Starr’s Mill High School fieldhouse at $50,000;
• Booth Middle School fieldhouse at $50,000;
• Fayette County High School stadium restrooms, press box and concessions at $250,000;
• painting at $300,000;
• window replacement at $200,000;
• media center and classroom furniture at $250,000;
• a generator at $300,000;
• Sandy Creek High School visitor bleachers at $300,000;
• Sandy Creek High press box at $150,000;
• Fayette County High visitor bleachers at $300,000;
• Whitewater Middle School gym bleachers at $75,000;
• Fayette County High softball restrooms at $50,000;
• McIntosh High softball restrooms at $50,000;
• Sandy Creek High softball restrooms at $50,000; and
• Starr’s Mill High storage facility at $50,000.
