During their special called meeting on Sept. 19, the Franklin Town Council unanimously approved a request to move the water and sewer lines for the Franklin High School project.
Todd Gibbs, auxiliary services director for Macon County Schools, told the council they would continue to have school on site while the new school is being built. Construction is expected to be completed by the time school starts in August 2026.
“We’ll continue to have school in the current buildings during construction. There are water lines and sewer lines in the construction area that need to be moved so that as they grade, they don’t clip one of those water lines or sewer lines,” Gibbs said.
The new school building will be constructed primarily on what is currently the upper practice field. Construction of the new stadium and track is expected to start after the conclusion of football season this fall. The current buildings will be razed once construction is complete.
“Kids will be on it the whole time,” Gibbs said. “So, we’ll have to have water and sewer maintained through the whole construction period.”
According to a letter the town received from the civil engineering firm Wade Trim, there are three sewer lines serving the school and three water lines. Water demand for the new school and stadium is estimated to be 21,000 gallons per day with a peak of 4,500 gallons per hour.
The letter from Wade Trim stated work is expected to begin in December and is estimated to cost $750,000. Gibbs said the cost of moving the lines was included in the project.
Town Manager Amie Owens said there is no increase in water capacity, and that they will just be moving the lines.
Mayor Jack Horton asked if anyone else would be impacted with the lines being moved. The school is the only customer on the line, and Public Works Director Bill Deal said he did not see any problems from the town’s perspective. Deal will be coordinating with the contractor throughout the process.
The meeting also included the approval of $80,294 for the purchase of two Dodge Durango trucks for the Franklin Police Department. Owens said the vehicles were in the 2024-25 budget, but because the cost was over the amount she can sign for, the purchases needed council approval. The vote for the purchase was unanimous.
The next Franklin Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7 in the board room on the lower level of Town Hall.