Architect Approved For Renovations At All Clay Schools

An Architect has been selected by the Clay County Board of Education for renovations at all three district schools.

The board had two choices, selecting Upland Design to handle the system’s ESSER 3.0 projects. Chairman Benji Bailey said he made his recommendation because of the scope of the projects potentially changing when the ESSER 3.0 application gets approved.

“That causes me to lean more towards Upland because I think they would be more flexible,” Bailey said. “In hopefully designing something that would work for us and what we want and they’re familiar with our buildings.”

Bailey said the renovations include the bathrooms and kitchen space at Celina K-8, bathrooms at Hermitage Springs Elementary and potential work for an addition at Clay County High School. The Architect is being paid with approved spending included in the system’s ESSER 2.0 application.

Board members discussed what might the process be if the projects went over budget. Board Member James Hatcher said that from a construction standpoint, the architects want to know how much the system can spend on the renovations so project they want can be completed.

“He wanted to know how much we’re spending so he didn’t design us a $1 million project when we have a $300,000 budget,” Hatcher said. “Because rarely do you have more money than you need, it’s usually less than what you need. Instead of using high-end materials, they will use the cheaper materials if they know that’s what your budget allows for.”

The school system’s ESSER 3.0 application is still waiting on approval. When the application results are returned, the system will know exactly what renovations can be completed.