News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Pickett County Officials will begin explorations of alternatives for upgrading Pickett County High School.
County Commissioners and School Board members begin exploring a major upgrade or a new facility during a joint meeting. County Executive Stephen Bilbrey said the county will explore both options because the high school, built in 1959, needs long-term upgrades.
“We don’t want to just put a band-aid on it and then if we look at a new school what is that going to entail,” Bilbrey said. “How much money are we looking at and you know we want to take care of our kids, but we’ve also got to take care of our older folks and don’t want to put too much of a tax burden on them.”
Bilbrey called the joint meeting productive and said he believes the ball is rolling as the school system has already set up a meeting with an architect and engineer. Bilbrey said the county has only had brief discussions about how the county would pay for a new facility.
“We would have to borrow the money,” Bilbrey said. “Bond issues are not real cheap. Interest rates are pretty high.”
Bilbrey said no one is leaning toward either option as it is too early to tell.
“The school board members and the county commissioners, they were in an agreement with that,” Bilbrey said. “We are not here to make a decision. We just want to see some facts on both sides to help us make a good honest judgment.”
Bilbrey said renovating the high school may be a cheaper option than building a new school.
Bilbrey said they will have to keep school security in mind when making a decision. Bilbrey said times have changed and security plays a huge factor in how schools are built nowadays.
Bilbrey said the county does not have much property for the school system to build a new facility. Bilbrey said he hopes more logistics about both options will be available in the coming months. Bilbrey said the county and School Board are in no rush to make a decision.
