Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Splost Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Forsyth County highlights SPLOST projects; Lakeside addition finished early and ‘debt‑free’
Summary
Forsyth County Schools presented SPLOST accomplishments including the Lakeside addition completed two months early, removal of 18 modular units, major renovations and an assertion that SPLOST projects have been completed debt‑free.
Forsyth County Schools staff used the Feb. 11 work session to highlight special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) projects completed under the district’s capital program, calling out the Lakeside addition as a recent completion that saved rental costs and returned students to permanent classrooms.
Dr. Michelle Dugan (communications) introduced the SPLOST spotlight and said the communications team’s role is to inform the public how tax dollars are used. Matt Wark of facilities described the Lakeside project and credited planning, construction and maintenance teams for completing the work with exceptionally low change orders.
“Lakeside alone, the 18 modular units in just rental alone, I would say, was close to $20,000 a month just in rentals,” Wark said, and he said removing the units earlier than planned produced both savings and safety benefits. He said the job completed about two months early, which let students occupy the building sooner and allowed the district to remove 18 modular units earlier than expected.
Wark and other facilities staff said the Lakeside work included roughly $5 million to $7 million in renovations and replacement of more than 100 HVAC units and water heaters while the contractor was on site. Wark said the project had “less than 0.5%” in change orders — a figure he called unusually low — and stressed the district completed SPLOST work without taking on new debt. “The most important part of all this is that we did it debt free,” a presenter said.
Presenters thanked school leaders and principals, praised coordination among planning, construction and maintenance teams and noted the community response at local school council (LSC) and PTO meetings.
What it means: The board heard a district update explaining how SPLOST funds were used for building additions, systemwide infrastructure upgrades and maintenance that officials say produced cost and safety benefits. The presentation was informational; no SPLOST policy or expenditure vote occurred at the work session.
