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BOE approves expenditures for school renovations
Liberty County School System

The Liberty County School Board put discussion of some school renovations on hold while members wait to see how the pandemic impacts the system’s budget.

Board members approved, however, a new air-cooled chiller for Joseph Martin Elementary.  LCSS Chief Operating Officer Arnold Jackson said the school’s current chiller is more than 20 years old and only operating at a 50 percent capacity.

The BoE discussed school renovations and improvements online Tuesday. The meetings are being held using an app called Zoom and being streamed live on Facebook due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the items discussed:

Mingledorff’s of Savannah was low bidder on the chiller.  It will cost $35,192, which includes a 5-year warranty, Jackson said.

The money will come from Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds.

The board also approved bids from VIP Office and Furniture, which is on the state contract pricing list of vendors, for furniture for the media centers at Snelson Golden Middle School, Frank Long Elementary and Lyman Hall Elementary.  The purchase will replace the existing shelving, chairs, circulation desks and computer tables.

Jackson said funding will come from ESPLOST for a total cost of $299,890.91.

Additional bids were approved Tuesday:

C. Merrill Construction will do $1.13 million in renovations to Frank Long Elementary . Funded by ESPLOST, the work will replace existing flooring, ceiling tile, lighting, window blinds, water fountains, and includes painting. Jackson said the district can get $694,540 from the state for the project.

Lavender Construction received the bid for $2 million in renovations at Snelson Golden Middle School for a total cost of $2,003,000.00. The district is eligible to receive $762,300 from the state.

United Grounds Maintenance Service won the bid for renovations at Lyman Hall for a cost of $1.106 million. The district is eligible to receive $660,660 in state funding for the project.

Jackson said each project will start in May and is scheduled to be completed by July 20, 2020.

Perry said the system will take spring break as was originally planned for April 13-17. He said it will allow staff and students to get some much-needed time off.

“Our teachers and students have been working extremely hard,” he said. “The only thing we will be running is our grab and go meal programs but that will be run by Second Harvest.”

Perry said digital learning will resume Monday April 20.

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