New AES remains biggest item on ACS capital plan
Sep. 14—When Chief School Financial Officer Serena Owsley gave her annual capital plan presentation to the Athens City Schools Board of Education, it was little surprise that the main item on the list was the new building for iAcademy at Athens Elementary.
Owsley said ACS will hold a groundbreaking for the new building today, with construction set to begin soon at the intersection of Madison Street and First and Second avenues, where a previous iteration of AES once stood. The project is expected to cost around $19 million.
While the new AES building is the biggest project, it is certainly not the only one on the plan. There are 29 projects listed among the items to be worked on between now and 2026. These include roof and heating and cooling repairs at various schools, upgrades to several facilities, additional parking lots and resurfacing the tennis courts and track at Athens High in 2022.
Ceiling plan
The only other project on the plan for 2021 is a restoration of the roof at Athens Middle School. It is estimated to cost $1.25 million and come from state Public School and College Authority funds.
"We are trying to get the leaks stopped," Owsley said. "Once we get this finished, repairs on that roof will be done for awhile."
On the list for 2022 are roof improvements for SPARK Academy at Cowart Elementary, estimated to cost $850,000 and come from PSCA funds. There are also heating and cooling projects for Cowart, estimated to cost $150,000 (state funding), and a gym project at Athens Elementary listed at $450,000 (local or federal CARES Act funding).
Renaissance period
Another major project is an upcoming expansion of Athens Renaissance School at an estimated cost of $5.4 million from local funding or grant money.
Owsley said while that project is listed as 2022, it will probably be 2023 before things move forward.
"We are still trying to figure out where all the growth in our system is coming and what we need to do to accommodate it first," she said.
Curtain call
One of the projects Owsley said she is most excited about is the addition of theatrical-grade curtains, lighting and sound to the Athens High School auditorium, known as the Athens Performing Arts Center. She said there is lighting and curtains in the facility now, but neither are of the quality originally envisioned for the center. There is currently no sound system in the auditorium, as seen by the ACS board using a portable speaker when it holds meetings in the space.
"Getting a sound system and curtains is pretty big," Owsley said. "We have been trying to get this done since that building was finished. There is no theatrical lighting or sound, and the curtains in there now we took out of Athens Elementary. We would love to get that project finished and see the auditorium completed."
According to the capital plan, $670,000 of state funding is estimated to cover those upgrades, which are listed for 2022. Owsley said the curtains, sound system and lighting that were initially planned for the center were taken out before construction.
"They chose not to include those at the time," she said. "Once you get everything brick and mortar, it's easier to add on to the inside."
