Thursday's Internet Edition, September 02, 2010.
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Thomas Elmore eyes the water as he executes a fancy dive at the Spencer city swimming pool. |
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A 10-year plan for improving school facilities in Roane County is the subject of a public hearing next week.
A meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Roane County High School library to present the plan to the public.
Architect Kent Gandee, working as a consultant to help develop the plan, will outline the proposals for each school. Members of the public will have an opportunity to offer comments and suggestions.
“This is the very last step before the board (of education) votes on the plan in August,” Jerry Garner, Roane County’s director of facilities, transportation and safety, said.
Garner said the document is a “fluid” one that can be changed during the 10-year period. Changes must be approved by the local board, as well as the W.Va. School Building Authority.
School officials and community members have been working on the plan for more than a year.
The process began with committees at each school developing a plan for their own school. A county committee made up of members of each school committee then considered all the needs and came up with a list of priorities.
A new Spencer Middle School, estimated to cost almost $16 million, is at the top of that list, just as it was 10 years ago when the last Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan was approved.
Next on the list is a new gym at Spencer Elementary, followed by a new preschool classroom at Walton Elementary/Middle. New administrative offices at all five elementary and middle schools are also planned.
Other items on the list include replacing HVAC systems, painting the interior of schools, replacing carpet with tile, installing energy-efficient light, replacing toilets, installing wiring for technology systems and repairing the riverbank and renovating the older portion of Walton Elementary/Middle.
Garner said it is important for the public to make their concerns known.
“We really need the input of the citizens at this public hearing,” he said.
If necessary, Garner said the county committee would meet once more to consider any suggestions from the public before the final plan is presented to the Roane Board of Education next month.
At a public forum on the same proposal last month at RCHS, only two people attended, including a reporter and a teacher who entered the room for anther reason and wasn’t aware the forum was taking place.
