The Johnston County School Board had awarded bids for repairs at six Johnston County School campuses.
Chief Operations Officer Patrick Jacobs said the six facilities are in “extreme need” of work. Jacobs along with Superintendent Dr. Ross Renfrow and School Board Chairman Mike Wooten appeared before Johnston County Commissioners on Feb. 6th asking for a $2.4 million loan to pay for the projects. Commissioners agreed to the loan on the condition the school system repay the money when a $30 million construction loan is approved later this year for repairs at other schools across the district.
During the school boards Feb. 14th meeting, a $639,552 bid was awarded to replace the roof at Smithfield Middle School. The school was built in 1976 and still has the original flat roof. Over the years maintenance crews have patched trouble spots but the roof is currently beyond repair. Team Craft Roofing was the low bidder on the project.
Four Oaks Elementary School will get a new roof, replacing the original 1952 roof that is in need of constant repairs. The low bid of $197,000 went to Southern Metal Systems.
A $598,600 bid was awarded to Allred Mechanical for replacement of the Chiller system to cool Selma Middle School. For the past several months, the school has been using a portable chiller after the 150 ton chiller failed due to age. The portable chiller cost $14,000 per month to lease. Under the contract a new chiller will be installed along with an upgraded control system.
Cooper Elementary will undergo $190,754 in upgrades with a chiller addition. In 2003, the media center was renovated and enlarged. Four years later, in 2007, a new kitchen and dining room was added. With the additions, the current HVAC system struggles to keep the entire building cool. The upgrade, awarded to Dail Mechanical, will allow for an extra chiller to alleviate the cooling issues.
A new cooling tower and chiller will be installed at East Clayton Elementary School. The current HVAC equipment is 20 years old and in need of replacement. Allred Mechanical submitted the low bid on the project at $592,800, according to Area Superintendent Dr. Rodney Peterson.
New bleachers will be added at the Clayton High School football field this spring. FaciliServ submitted the only bid on the project at $121,092.97. An additional $18,500 will be spent for a concrete slab. The current bleachers are a safety hazard. Jacobs said bleacher repairs would not normally be considered an extreme need but the current bleachers are a safety issue and are not ADA compliant.
Chairman Wooten asked Dr. Peterson to ask FaciliServ to install the bleachers prior to graduation ceremonies this June. Peterson said the company plans to complete the project no later than June 1st.
Wooten thanked county commissioners for their open dialogue and assistance with funding the projects prior to the $30 million loan. “These were the greatest needs thus far, until we get to another bond,” Wooten said.
