The Hall County School Board heard reports Monday on two large construction projects coming to county schools over the next few years.
The largest project is at Lyman Hall Elementary School in Gainesville. Hall County Schools Facilities and Construction Director Matt Cox said the $26 million project is set to begin this November and will see the school add 12 classrooms as well as a new gymnasium and cafeteria.
Superintendent Will Schofield said the upgrades are needed for the school, which is one of the oldest in the county.
"It's approximately 60 years old at its core," Schofield said. "The classrooms are undersized, it's greatly outdated, the cafeteria is undersized, the media center is undersized. So, with the use of some of the pandemic funding from the federal government, we're excited that we're going to give that a major facelift. It will be an exciting opportunity."
The project will be done in phases with the final completion estimated for the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
The county is also planning a $6.5 million renovation and expansion of Lanier College and Career Academy, which is also expected to start before the end of this calendar year. Schofield said the expansion will provide some new programs for the school.
"We're going to put in a marine mechanic program and also an advanced metal fabrication program," Schofield said. "Those are real-time jobs that employers in our area are looking for right now and some of this new space is going to put those two programs into place hopefully by early next calendar year."
