Bulloch County Board of Education members will vote tonight on a resolution to purchase five parcels of property along Clarke Street in Portal.
The purchase of the parcels will unite two other prices of property the school board currently owns - the Portal Middle-High school campus and the school's athletic complex, which stands behind the five parcels to be purchased and borders Portal- Metter Highway, said Bulloch County Assistant Superintendent Charles Wilson.
The purchases "will tie together two parts of our property," he said. "It will develop a contiguous property on which we an then develop a master plan for the school."
The plan is to build a new school, using the newest portion of the current facility - the wings that hold grades 6-8, he said.
Without the purchase of the Clarke Street properties, there is no room for expansion or new construction, he said.
Wilson said the school board approved a budget of about $14 million a few months ago for the project, but after land acquisition and paying for athletic complex improvements that have already been done, the remaining money available is about $10.5 million, which will be "left to design the school," he said.
School officials are charged with determining what programs will be offered and how the need of the students will be met, then the master plan design will take those needs into consideration, he said.
"We're trying to determine the instructional program, and will build the school around that," he said.
Wilson gave a tentative and broad estimate of when the mater plan will be completed - anywhere between July and December 2008, he said.
The property acquisition should be completed by Jan 1, 2008, he said.
The Bulloch County Board of Education meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the William James Educational Complex on Williams Road. The meeting is open to the public.
Other business to be discussed or acted upon by board members includes the tentative approval of the fiscal year 2008 budget, fund raising events for William James Middle School and an agreement regarding yearbook publication.
The purchase of the parcels will unite two other prices of property the school board currently owns - the Portal Middle-High school campus and the school's athletic complex, which stands behind the five parcels to be purchased and borders Portal- Metter Highway, said Bulloch County Assistant Superintendent Charles Wilson.
The purchases "will tie together two parts of our property," he said. "It will develop a contiguous property on which we an then develop a master plan for the school."
The plan is to build a new school, using the newest portion of the current facility - the wings that hold grades 6-8, he said.
Without the purchase of the Clarke Street properties, there is no room for expansion or new construction, he said.
Wilson said the school board approved a budget of about $14 million a few months ago for the project, but after land acquisition and paying for athletic complex improvements that have already been done, the remaining money available is about $10.5 million, which will be "left to design the school," he said.
School officials are charged with determining what programs will be offered and how the need of the students will be met, then the master plan design will take those needs into consideration, he said.
"We're trying to determine the instructional program, and will build the school around that," he said.
Wilson gave a tentative and broad estimate of when the mater plan will be completed - anywhere between July and December 2008, he said.
The property acquisition should be completed by Jan 1, 2008, he said.
The Bulloch County Board of Education meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the William James Educational Complex on Williams Road. The meeting is open to the public.
Other business to be discussed or acted upon by board members includes the tentative approval of the fiscal year 2008 budget, fund raising events for William James Middle School and an agreement regarding yearbook publication.