The newest of Henry County Schools’ two performing arts centers is almost ready for use, and the older one is getting a facelift.
The PAC under construction next to Fairview Elementary School is nearing completion, according to a report issued at the Henry County Board of Education’s May 11 study session. The roofing work has been completed and auditorium seats are now being installed in the facility, which will have a capacity of about 1,000. A host of other indoor projects are also underway. As for what can be seen from the outside, sidewalks are being installed and final asphalt topping and striping is in the works.
District chief operations officer Josh Malcom told the board that he hopes to be issued an initial certificate of occupancy by the end of this month, and the $17 million project is expected to be wrapped up in time for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
School board member Annette Edwards asked about the green space in the back of the facility near Rex Road and whether a portion of it should have been used for parking. Malcom pointed out that the parking being put in place is sufficient for a facility that size, but there have also been conversations about extending the bus lane at Fairview Elementary in the future to give buses two exit points, and part of the land to which Edwards referred could be used for that. In all, there is space for future expansion of the PAC in whatever way it is required, Malcom said.
At the same meeting, a $2,728,000 bid was accepted for extensive renovations at the existing PAC next to the Academy for Advanced Studies in McDonough, which first opened in the fall of 1998. Malcom said at the meeting that it has not been renovated since it opened, although the district’s website states that an expansion/renovation project was undertaken in 2009. Either way, it has been a long time for a facility that sees some 60,000 people a year at its events.
SRS of Griffin was selected for the project from a field of a dozen bidders. The company’s tasks will include replacement of damaged asphalt and re-striping the paving in the parking lot; new floor finishes in some indoor areas; repainting inside and outside; replacement of ceiling tiles and some audience seating; new monument signage; replacement of the HVAC and plumbing improvements; lighting and electrical upgrades; and other detailed work.
Funding for the project comes from the district’s current SPLOST.
Malcom told the board that his department is currently performing a classroom utilization study with an eye toward any future growth projects that might be needed. As the district moves into next year and gets closer to the end of the SPLOST period, preparations will begin for a new SPLOST and what it might contain.
