School Board Capital Planning Committee discusses renovations and innovations

Key issues such as school safety; heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling (HVAC); campus improvements and technological advancements were presented and discussed at tonight’s Madison City School Board Capital Planning Committee meeting.

The school system’s superintendent, Dr. Dee Fowler, said he spoke with a demographer and reported a large increase in the number of kids in the city. In fact, kindergarten enrollment for this school year has been the second highest in almost 10 years at 574 kindergartners. He said 20 percent of the population is school-age children.

Also presented was a plan to construct a new $60 million high school by 2012, a bus facility, additions to Horizon Elementary and land acquisition in Limestone County to build new elementary schools.

“We had a hard time finding land in Mill Creek, so we found undeveloped land in Limestone County,” Fowler said.

He also said a five-year plan to fix roofing in Liberty Middle’s cafeteria and West Madison’s gym, as well as HVAC systems at Liberty, Discovery, Bob Jones and West Madison was a necessity because those are “two areas you cannot ignore.” He said if not taken care properly, they could lead to more costs.

Another topic Fowler discussed was the construction of a sole Patriot Academy building. He said the “alternative education” school, which is currently housed behind Discovery Middle, should have a building of its own.

“These are kids who otherwise would not have continued with their education,” Fowler said after the meeting. “They are the girl who is seven months pregnant, the boy who is going through chemo and need an alternative form of education. What we want to do is grow that facility out, that way, the students can have their own growing environment.”

As far as campus improvements, the five-year plan listed parking lots at Liberty, drainage at Rainbow Elementary, fencing around the playground of Mill Creek and the track bleachers at Bob Jones.

A $200,000 safety measure to add security cameras and secure the entrances to all Madison City schools was also presented.  Fowler said no school would receive priority and that all would receive the added security in the next three years.

The plan will go to the board for approval this Thursday at Madison Elementary