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Board hears facilities timeline: high school remodel, Hill City, Tate work, JMS HVAC and new health clinic
Summary
Operations staff updated the Pickens County Board on a multi-year capital program including high school remodel phases, Hill City and Tate renovations, a major HVAC replacement at JMS, a planned College and Career Academy, school safety work, and the imminent opening of a school-based health clinic (DragonCare).
The Pickens County Board of Education received a detailed operations and construction update at its Sept. 11 meeting outlining ongoing and planned capital projects across the district.
Director of Operations Chris Barker told the board the high school renovation is in a multi-phase program with approximately 85% complete for earlier phases; remaining work is scheduled across the coming summer. Hill City Elementary is set for a full remodel under a guaranteed-maximum-price (GMP) contract; staff said the board will be asked to approve the GMP in coming months and that work is intended to be finished by the first day of school following construction. Tate Elementary is undergoing a three-phase remodel focused on HVAC, floors, parking/playground and the main building in successive summers; staff noted the building dates to the 1926–27 school year and highlighted the district’s centennial planning for Tate.
Barker and Dr. Thomas said the district is preparing a large HVAC replacement at JMS and the junior high that will cover more than 100 units and that capital outlay/state funds will be used to pay up front with anticipated reimbursement. The board was told these projects will be funded primarily through SPLOST and capital outlay captures; district staff emphasized they are attempting to limit local tax impacts for these replacements.
The board also heard that the district’s SPLOST slot 6 collections are near the cap: staff reported slot 6 total collections of about $32 million to date with a cap of $35 million; the district’s 12-month average collection was quoted at $787,216.35. Staff projected the slot could “cap out” in December and that spending of those funds has a roughly two-year window following collection.
On programming, the operations update included a status report on a planned standalone College and Career Academy the district intends to build in the location approved by recent public vote; staff said the project is in the design/feasibility stage and that architects and peer-district benchmarking work will follow.
Safety and health: district staff described ongoing emergency-response planning and training at every school and said plans had been submitted to the state. Superintendent Dr. Thomas and operations staff also announced that the school-based health clinic on the junior high campus — operated in partnership with Good Samaritan and branded as DragonCare in the meeting — was expected to open the following Monday to provide additional medical access for students and families.
Why it matters: The capital projects affect multiple facilities and classroom environments across the district and rely on SPLOST and state capital funding; the timing for work and reimbursement affects when construction can be executed and the district’s near-term budget posture.
What’s next: Staff said they will bring a guaranteed-maximum-price for the Hill City remodel to the board for approval in coming months, finalize designs and funding plans for JMS HVAC and the College and Career Academy, and support the launch of the DragonCare clinic.
