Rural schools to get renovations

ST. GEORGE — Dorchester County's rural schools will get some "long overdue" renovations, including air conditioning in hot gymnasiums.

District 4 officials plan to spend more than $2 million to upgrade five schools.

"This is long overdue," School Board Chairman Kenneth Jenkins said after a unanimous vote last week.

Initial plans have been drawn up, but final plans would have to approved by the state and bids taken, so site work is not likely to start until next summer, officials said.

Three of the schools don't have air conditioning in the gyms, which are also used as auditoriums, according to the list the board approved.

"Sometimes it's hotter in the gym than it is outside," Annette Moore, who has two children at Williams Memorial Elementary School, told the board.

Meetings are often held in the school's cafeteria, because that room has air conditioning; but the room can't handle some of the crowds, Principal Jeff Beckwith said. A recent PTA meeting drew 150 people, some of whom were spilling out the doors, he said.

The projects also include expanding the media center at Williams Elementary. The library is too crowded for the school's 650 students, Media Specialist Sherry O'Cain told the board. The school recently got a $20,000 grant from the Rotary club to buy new books, but O'Cain said she will be have a hard time finding where to put them.

The district's initial plans call for turning the old cafeteria at Williams Elementary into a new library and making the present media center into two science classrooms.

Woodland High School, which was built in 1999, will get four new classrooms, which will give some of the school's floating teachers their own space.

The renovations are estimated at $2.3 million, although the amount will probably be higher as construction costs continue to escalate, officials said.

About $1.3 million would be financed as a lease purchase. The district would pay off $200,000 a year from the general budget. The district would borrow about $1 million.

A referendum would not be needed to borrow the money. A referendum is required only when the amount to be borrowed is more than 8 percent of the district's assets, Business Manager Marty Connelly said.

BY DAVE MUNDAYReach Dave Munday at 745-5862 or dmunday@postandcourier.com.