Dirt was officially turned on Monday, November 5 during a groundbreaking ceremony for Henry County Schools’ newest capital project, a state-of-the-art performing arts center in Fairview.

This newest facility for the county adds much needed space and options for the oft-used and current performing arts center, centrally located in McDonough. Approximately 1,000 seats will be the capacity of the new facility, which will also include a balcony, two-story grand foyer, and meeting space in the back of the area.

Located adjacent to Fairview Elementary, the design and location are aimed at accommodating fine-arts performers from schools throughout the district while also giving closer access to residents on the north side of the county.

In addition to school board members and district leaders, city and county government officials were on hand to celebrate the occasion, too. Each took their turn ceremoniously shoveling dirt to signify the official start to the project.

The 19 acres of land will soon begin to take shape and connect future parking on the site to the current lots of Fairview Elementary. There will be dual access points to provide for easy access to one of the more traveled roads in the area. The facility itself measures right at 50,000 square feet of space.

Looking ahead, the anticipated building completion date is slated for late 2019. Performances in the new facility will start booking in early 2020.

During the early week ceremony, Superintendent Davis welcomed the crowd and recognized several key figures, while Josh Malcom, Executive Director of Facilities and Maintenance, provided updates on construction and project details. Board Member Annette Edwards (District 5) shared her excitement with the crowd for the facility being constructed in the district she represents. She also expanded on her remarks to discuss what the project will mean for the county.

“This is a great day for this area and all of the citizens of the county,” said Edwards. “It will be a state-of-the-art facility for all of our students to use.”

Board Chair Josh Hinton (District 2) closed the ceremony by thanking voters across the county for their support of the E-SPLOST, which contained this specific project. The one-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2016 has made projects such as this one and other expansions possible to serve the needs of our growing community.

For more information on Henry County Schools, visit www.henry.k12.ga.us