Hartwell Elementary to be renovated

The Hart County Board of Education took its first step on Monday toward renovating Hartwell Elementary School.
“I know we’ve been talking about it for a couple of years and we discussed it in depth at the board retreat,” Superintendent Jay Floyd said at the board’s regular meeting on Monday. “We’re at a point now that the scope of services would be the architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical drawings and specifications for the renovation and modifications for Hartwell Elementary School.”
Board member Richard Sutherland motioned to approve the recommendation to enter into an agreement with Robertson Loia Roof Architects and Engineers for the project. Matthew Honiotes seconded the motion and the measure passed unanimously.
To ensure the renovations don’t diminish any historic aspects of the building, Floyd said he presented the school board’s plans to the Hart County Historical Society last Tuesday. No changes will be made to the wooden floors, the facade or the sod out front.
“That meeting went really, really well,” Floyd said. “They were very pleased with (the board’s) recommendations as far as ideas moving forward.”
Hartwell Elementary School was last renovated in 1981, Honiotes noted during the meeting.
The proposed historic building renovation scope includes: Reroofing; possible lead paint remediation; painting the interior and exterior; refinishing floors; refinishing existing doors; installing insulated windows; insulation improvements; restoring damaged exterior wood details; rewiring; marker board replacement; fire alarm replacement; NFPA 13 fire sprinkler system upgrades; lighting replacement; restroom modernization; ADA drinking fountain replacement; ADA compliance improvements; probable plumbing repiping; relocating walls and reconfiguring spaces to create restored front administration spaces and Georgia Department of Education compliant sized classrooms; and HVAC replacement.
In other business:
• David Seagraves gave the facility report and said the September collections for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) hit the second-highest number this year at $337,420.04.
• Col. Chris Carter gave the board an update on the JROTC program at Hart County High School. Carter reported that they obtained Honor Unit with Distinction (HUD) and the Raider and drill teams each qualified to compete at the state level.
• A certificate was presented to the Hart County School Board for K-12 accreditation with quality.
• The board voted unanimously to approve a recommendation to enter into an agreement with Robertson Loia Roof for HVAC replacements at South Hart Elementary School and North Hart Elementary School.
• The board was presented with two quotes for tractors for the AgriScience Center that will be purchased with SPLOST IV money.
• The board voted unanimously to approve a change to long-term substitute teacher pay. Previously, long-term substitutes, with a valid professional teaching certificate, would receive regular substitute teacher pay ($68 per day) and would have to work 21 consecutive days before receiving long-term pay ($90 per day). The change strikes the 21 consecutive day stipulation for long-term substitutes.
• The board unanimously approved adding two additional special education paraprofessionals for Hartwell Elementary School and Hart County Middle School.
• The board voted 5-0 to approve a facility use request for the Kids Helping Kids Food Walk on Oct. 26 at the middle school track.
• The board voted 5-0 to approve a bus use request from the Hart County 4-H Club.
• The board voted 4-0, with Lonnie Robinson abstaining, to table the recreation departments facility use request for basketball gyms due to the paper work not being signed by each schools’ principals.