Resurfacing the Mountain View Intermediate parking lot and adding carpet to Macon Middle School are two of the 14 capital outlay changes the Macon County Board of Education unanimously approved Monday, Dec. 2.
After swearing in the 2024 election winners, the board discussed its 2024-25 capital outlay designations.
The roughly two-hour discussion ended with the board unanimously approving the following funding requests:
• fencing at Nantahala School ($31,363)
• swing set at Nantahala School ($3,500)
• resurfacing the parking lot at Mountain View Intermediate ($118,240.55)
• new diesel maintenance truck ($72,965)
• two milk coolers for Mountain View Intermediate ($10,200) and one milk cooler each for Macon Middle School, East Franklin Elementary and Nantahala School ($5,100 each)
• playground equipment for South Macon Elementary ($25,000)
• playground fencing at East Franklin Elementary ($45,000)
• parking lot gravel at East Franklin Elementary ($4,500)
• carpet in the commons area at Macon Middle School ($31,000)
• new lawn mower at Highlands School ($17,500)
• windows in the Central Office board room and kitchen ($10,000).
Those approved requests equal $384,568.55. Adding the $116,200 in approved items at the Nov. 4 meeting, it equals $500,768.55 of the $550,000 being appropriated for capital outlay.
This leaves $49,231.45 to be prioritized, which the board agreed to hold in case of future needs.
At its Nov. 4 meeting, the school board approved purchasing two milk coolers for Franklin High School, double-stack ovens for Cartoogechaye and South Macon elementary schools plus a mobile serving line, warming unit and reach-in cooler for Macon Early College. These kitchen/lunchroom items were seen as immediate needs due to the lead time in ordering.
The Nov. 4 approved capital outlay requests cost $116,200, coming from the $1.25 million designated for 2024-25 capital outlay requests. The capital outlay funds must be spent by June 30, 2025. From that $1.25 million, $700,000 is pre-designated for technology and radio bi-directional amplifier installations, leaving $550,000 for other needs.
On Dec. 2, Finance Director Laney Ledford presented priority lists from all the MCS principals to the school board members.
Many principals prioritized technological updates such as door swipes. Technology Director Tim Burrell said they are waiting to see if they get a school security grant in the first quarter of 2025. Exceptional Children’s Director Brooke Keener said MCS asked for $350,000 for that grant.
In November, the board determined the Mountain View Intermediate main parking lot was the school system’s worst parking lot. The parking lot has large cracks that in some cases are three or four inches in width.
“This year, we have had a faculty member twist their ankle in a crack, fall and hit their face,” stated the principal’s notes to the board. “Our parking lot is used every evening and weekend for community league sports, whether it is practice or games.”
The second-most needed parking lot is the Macon Middle School bus parking lot, which currently is gravel. Tallent had quotes for $114,000 for “chip and seal” and $180,000 to fully pave the lot.
The board discussed Franklin High’s top needs for the next two-plus years until the new school is built, including repainting crosswalks and lining off the handicapped parking spot near the main office. Maintenance Director Tracy Tallent said he would see if his department can handle those without extra funding.
The five new milk coolers were requested by the principals, and it was noted the one at Nantahala is 31 years old.
School board member Melissa Evans, who represents Nantahala, previously reported the Nantahala School fence is damaged and rusted in many areas, and the school’s swing set is mostly unusable.
There was a discussion about the playground equipment at Highlands School, which is nearly 20 years old and needs replacing. Board attorney John Henning said a replacement playground likely would cost around half a million dollars.
Board Chair Jim Breedlove pointed out a “potentially unsafe situation” with South Macon’s aging playground, some of which came from the old Otto School more than 20 years ago. The South Macon playground equipment was the No. 1 priority on the principal’s list.
Board member Stephanie Laseter said there are potential grants to pay for new playgrounds, especially for handicap-accessible equipment.
The Highlands soccer field lawnmower will replace a personal mower that a coach uses and cut mowing time in half. Tallent added that if the Highlands soccer field is converted to turf, they can replace an older mower at another school.
The carpet for the commons area at Macon Middle School will cover three specific areas where the floor is “buckling,” according to Tallent. Additionally, Tallent believes the expansion joints under the floor are not level, which has led to those buckling areas and that “carpet hides a lot of sin.”
Replacing the five windows in the Central Office meeting room and kitchen follows up replacing five windows on the other side of the same wing, where Superintendent Josh Lynch’s office is located. Tallent suggested the replacement, noting those windows originally came from Franklin High School.
The gravel for parking at East Franklin Elementary will provide needed space for when the school hosts community events. The East Franklin fencing will be for an eight-foot-high fence surrounding the K-2 area.