by Hannah Caudell
The Habersham County Board of Education is almost ready to begin the process of building new playground facilities for all eight of its elementary schools.
Assistant Superintendent David Leenman told board members on Thursday afternoon during his facilities report that administrators had created a tentative timeline for the preliminary process to be complete, or the process of choosing a contractor. It’s something Leenman said they hope to have finished by November.
He said they hope to have a request for proposal, or RFP, advertised by Sept. 15, with pre-submittal conference and site visits done by Sept. 29 at 8:30 a.m. From there, the school system will receive proposals and choose finalists by Oct. 22. Finally, a committee made up of parents, school administrators and personnel will interview the finalists, and the board could approve the finalist contractor in the regular meeting on Nov. 10.
That’s if everything goes well with no hiccups, Leenman said.
There will be three playgrounds at each elementary school — one for kindergarten-first grade, one for second and third graders, and one for fourth and fifth graders. All playgrounds will also adhere to the law set in House Bill 371, which requires that schools provide shade structures and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.
In other business, the board will likely vote on the radio intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the county on Monday night. It is an annual IGA with automatic renewal, and the school system will be required to pay its share for operating the system, totaling $177,804, using Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or ESPLOST funds.
The board will also have the option of removing an old internet tower from the Cornelia Elementary School campus, which is no longer in use. Leenman told board members that they would like to partner with Rabun County E-911 to remove the tower, which they will in turn use for their own purposes. Removing the tower in this way would not cost the school system, and there is the potential that Rabun County E-911 could remove other out-of-service towers on school property.