Board happy with under-budget finale for James Clemens
James Clemens High School under construction
Board member Connie Spears reiterated the good news at the Sept. 26 meeting of the Madison Board of Education.
“Let me say this again … James Clemens High School has been completed on schedule AND under budget AND you’re giving us a check” Spears said to representatives with Volkert Inc. contractors and SKT Architects.
The overall construction project for James Clemens was $6,000 under budget.
Under-budget contracts included electrical, $51,000; plumbing, $34,661.77; general works construction, $91,800; mechanical package, $27,069.22; and fire protection, $14,147.58. The only increase from original budgeting was landscaping at $212,600, involving purchase of topsoil and drainage work for baseball and softball fields.
James Clemens baseball and softball competition fields will be completed by Nov. 7. The auditorium’s sound system, lighting and stage curtain have been installed.
September is Workforce Development Month in Alabama, Dr. Camille Wright, secondary education director, said. Madison City Schools has adopted the local theme, “Today’s Students – Tomorrow’s Leaders.”
The district’s Career and Technical Education Advisory Board has completed a five-year strategic plan. The board serves as a conduit between current workforce needs/trends and promotes career readiness for every Madison student, Wright said.
Committee member John Allen with Southern Construction and Design has had an intern from Bob Jones High School for three semesters. Allen commended SCD intern Kevin Kendrick for his design of the entrance sign at Bob Jones.
“Career tech is not the way we all thought about it … when I was in high school in the 1980s,” Spears said. “It’s a different entity. Our academies (health and engineering, for example) ARE career tech. We’re talking about every single student in the building who is able to participate in these programs.”
In business actions, board member Ranae Bartlett requested more time for review of amendments to the board’s bylaws. An architect agreement with Steven Ward & Associates Inc. was approved for West Madison Elementary School’s gym roof.
The board approved a resolution allowing flexibility in the use of the city’s sales tax proceeds for capital costs of James Clemens.
Fowler commended Bartlett and Connie Spears for completing training with the Alabama Association of School Boards.
