Floyd County school board considering ELOST bonds, plans to make decision in December
As projects funded by the 2017 education local option sales tax near completion, the Floyd County School Board of Education is considering taking out bonds to get a jumpstart on 2022 ELOST projects.
Voters approved a new ELOST for Floyd County Schools and Rome City Schools in the May primary. RCS dedicated their money to build a new middle school while Floyd County opted to focus on multiple infrastructure projects.
While collections won’t begin until April 2024, board members are weighing the options of taking out bonds beforehand to get started on some of the projects that are considered more pertinent.
“All of this is up to the board. If they decide to do it, they’ll determine the amount of money and the projects we’ll get started on,” Superintendent Glenn White said.
The board ultimately decided to table the bond discussion until December, but the projects they’re most keen on starting are upgrades for athletic facilities at all four high schools, including new synthetic tracks and turf fields.
The 2022 ELOST includes earmarks for new field houses at Armuchee High School and Coosa High School, as well as new turf football fields and new lights for the baseball fields at all four high schools.
Boardmember Chip Hood said a new field house is a “huge need at Armuchee and Coosa” during a work session on Thursday. About $2 million each has been dedicated to the Armuchee and Coosa fieldhouses in the 2022 ELOST.
“The fieldhouses are a safety issue. We’ve all toured them,” he said. “I think those two projects should be first priority.”
Facilities Manager John Worsham said they would likely have to tear down the current fieldhouses and start from scratch.
“Rebuilding fieldhouses wouldn’t be something they can start on until the first of the year anyway,” Boardmember Tony Daniel said.
In addition, board members are also considering contacting Buckley design group to construct the new fieldhouses. That group has done similar work for the school system in the past.
Daniel also said he’d like to see some of the turf fields replaced before collections begin in 2024, but it’d be difficult to do it at the same time as the fieldhouses since football training begins in July.
“There’s never going to be a good time to do your field because it’s going to inconvenience the football team at some point,” Chair Melinda Strickland said. “They might just have to relocate during that time.”
Other projects listed in the ELOST will also complete the Armuchee High School modernization project, which is currently ongoing. Some of the projects include new lighting and sound systems for the auditorium for $500,000 and a complete kitchen renovation for $1.5 million.
The ELOST also has $1 million asphalt replacements and technology upgrades at all Floyd County schools.