The Clay County School Board approved Thursday beginning the bid process for a major paving project at Celina K-8 School.
School Board Chairman Benji Bailey said the project has been on the board’s five-year plan. Bailey said a contractor recently evaluated the K-8, Clay County High School and Hermitage Springs School.
“In their opinion, Celina K-8 was in the biggest need,” Bailey said. “All three of our facilities are in need of some paving, but they thought that Celina needed paving worse than any.”
Bailey said most of the pavement has either cracked or formed potholes due to its age. Bailey said the project will focus on repaving and expanding the existing parking lot and pickup and drop-off lanes.
“It’s obviously the existing parking lot, which would include all that is currently paved,” Bailey said. “It would be a fresh coat of pavement on top,” Bailey said. “That also will include the lanes for driver pickup and drop-off… and there will be an additional extension as well to the area of the parking lot that currently have graveled.”
Bailey said the evaluator developed the specs for the project, but also gave a “considerable price” to perform the project. Bailey said sending the project to bid might result in a better price.
Bailey said the school board budgeted for the Celina K-8 paving project in this year’s budget.
“If the bids are outrageous and over budget, we’re not committed to anything,” Bailey said.
Bailey said the district plans to address paving needs at its other schools in the future, depending on available funding.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to address both the high school and Hermitage Springs next year,” Bailey said.
In other business, the school board approved tenure for several teachers.
The school board adopted textbooks for Schedule E PE/Health Education, CTE Advanced Manufacturing, and CTE Information Technology. Instruction Supervisor Misty Strong said the adoption allows the school board to purchase books for those classes should they need new textbooks over the next nine years.
The board approved the purchase of a new lawnmower for the school system.