Haywood County Schools gets facilities update; staff recommends name 'Haywood Innovative' for new middle school

At a Haywood County Schools work session, staff provided a multi-part facilities update covering an in-progress district facility assessment, recent and pending fencing and gate work at several campuses, permits and contracts for farm and sewer projects, the status of a daycare fit-out, and a recommended name and logo for a planned accelerated middle school.

The update was presented by Mr. Haines, facilities staff, who told the board the district-wide facility assessment by the Clark Nexon team is nearly complete and is expected to be finished "mid month towards the end" of September; Clark Nexon will present the assessment at the October work session so board members can ask questions, Haines said.

The assessment and its recommendations are intended to reflect priorities the board identified during earlier site visits, Haines said. "They just kinda wanna go over again, you know, the things that you all had kinda prioritized ... making sure that they're giving the board the things that they want to see in that assessment and those recommendations," he said.

Security and site work: Haines reported the new fence at Waynesville Middle School is complete except for a hood that covers a card reader for the cafeteria gate; that gate requires a push button to allow deliveries. Staff plan to start using the pedestrian gates next week to confirm all card readers work and then move to the roll gates, at which point Haines said the system should be "fully functional." He described how staff badges and gate buttons will operate: staff will use cards to tap at pedestrian gates; individuals inside the fence who need to exit…