The Jackson County School Board approved repair projects at Dodson Branch Elementary and Jackson County Middle School Thursday night.
Maintenance Supervisor Josh Morgan said a company evaluated the school roofs and created a plan for replacement. Morgan said both roofs leak into the buildings, causing damage to the structures and floors.
“The quotes here, you know, we could probably get patches from somebody else cheaper too and it not have this maintenance plan with all that,” Morgan said. “It’s still just a band-aid, you know, to get us by. And we may have to do that. I don’t know, that’s gonna be kind of left up to y’all.”
Morgan said Dodson Branch has a 30-year-old roof that will not last much longer. Morgan said the compromised roof causes flooding, and issues to the cafeteria floors. Morgan recommended calling an architect to evaluate the area and see if the board can put a bid out to repair the floor.
“Right before Mr. Hardy come we did that middle section, so it’s good. The new part back there is good. The other is still in good shape. Really, that cafeteria part just needs to be tore up and replaced.”
Morgan said he makes patches weekly to the middle school roof. Crows or buzzards peal off pieces of material in the roof.
Morgan said both projects are urgent, as there is water damage to the middle school gymnasium. Board Member Shannon Wilson said the Board paid to have the gymnasium floors redone three years ago.
Director of Schools Jason Hardy said the Board has not budgeted for the middle school roof bid. Hardy said the board would have to wait until the next budget cycle to bid out the roof or have the county court approve an amendment to take the funds from their reserves.
Board Member Mark Brown said it could take an architect a significant amount of time to draft a design for a new roof.
“We need to study it and go ahead and put it out for bid and see what this would cost, even if we put a band-aid on it, cause we’re going to have to,” Brown said. “It’s coming. In the process, I was sitting there thinking it might be six months before we can even bid them.”