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Published Saturday, February 04, 2012 in Local

Photo by Jeffrey Leo

Steel is up for the new press box above the area of the home stands at Newnan High’s Drake Stadium. The rebuilding is scheduled to be complete in time for graduation ceremonies this spring.

Drake Stadium update: Construction on schedule for May 18 completion

By Rebecca Leftwich

The Newnan Times-Herald

Structural steel installation for Drake Stadium's press box is nearly finished, and the projected completion date of May 18 for the entire stadium upgrade is well within grasp, according to Coweta County School System Facilities Director Ronnie Cheek.

"We had a good week this week, probably right on schedule," Cheek said Friday of the stadium project behind Newnan High School. "Our goal was to have it finished in time for graduation, and it's going very well."

The Coweta County Board of Education's Building and Grounds Committee met Jan. 27 to review ongoing plans for construction and other capital improvements in the school system. Board members reviewed the school system's long-range plan for capital improvements, which Superintendent Steve Barker's staff is in the process of updating.

Many ongoing projects are funded by the current Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for schools (ESPLOST III), which provides most of the local funding for capital improvements within the school system through June 2012.

ESPLOST III (2007-2012) has been used to finance construction of:

• Brooks Elementary School.

• School expansions at Eastside Elementary School and Evans Middle School.

• Three ninth-grade campuses for Coweta's three high schools.

• Renovations and modifications at East Coweta Middle School.

• General refurbishing and improvements (including painting, flooring, HVAC and paving) at Arnall, Evans and East Coweta middle schools, Winston Dowdell Academy, Arnco-Sargent, Atkinson, Canongate, Elm Street, Jefferson Parkway, Moreland, Newnan Crossing, Northside, Thomas Crossroads, Western and White Oak elementary schools, as well as Northgate, East Coweta and Newnan high schools.

• Sewer improvements at Thomas Crossroads.

• The purchase new school buses to meet growth and replace aging vehicles.

• System-wide technology improvements.

• Purchase and renovation of central office facilities at 167 Werz Drive in Newnan.

• The purchase of tracts of land for future school sites across the county.

The committee also reviewed plans for several current and upcoming projects funded by ESPLOST III. They included:

• Ongoing renovations and modifications at Newnan High School.

• Renovations and modifications at Western, White Oak, Ruth Hill, Atkinson, Elm Street elementary schools.

• Possible renovations and modifications at Northside Elementary Schools and Winston Dowdell Academy.

• Possible re-roofing at Evans Middle School.

• Floor Covering at the Central Educational Center, East Coweta and Northgate high schools, Smokey Road and Madras middle schools and Willis Road Elementary school.

• Painting at the Central Educational Center and Glanton Elementary School.

• The purchase of new buses.

• Technology upgrades and expansions.

• Construction of a new middle school.

The committee also heard plans for the re-roofing of the Central Educational Center, scheduled for spring 2012, which is being funded by local construction funds.

Planning for all of those projects is being considered within the updated long-range facilities plan. Potential ESPLOST IV projects were also discussed and potential sequencing of those projects were discussed. Barker and staff members explained that long-range planning for ESPLOST IV involve projected timelines and may change as needs arise.

The building and grounds committee also reviewed the school system's architect selection process. Architectural drawings for all school projects such as new construction, additions, renovations and modifications, regardless of the funding source, must be submitted to the State Facilities Section for review for compliance with state standards.

Board policy calls for the local schools superintendent to establish a process for selecting architectural services. Barker said he will conduct a qualifications-based review for architectural services within the next few months. The committee also reviewed the school system's construction processes, including budgeting for contingencies and the use of construction manager at-risk or design-bid-build project management.

In other business, the board authorized Barker to make an offer on a tract of land -- designated as tract 12-C -- during a called session prior to the Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting.

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