Dr. Denita Dowell-Reavis
Frank Williams from Pinnacle Architecture presented an update on the Sugar Loaf Elementary School Gymnasium Project at the Alexander County Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday.
The board awarded a bid in June 2023 to Cope construction; however, the bid did not cover the entirety of the original project which included turning the existing gymnasium into a media center. The school will also need a retaining wall behind the new media center to make it compliant with the American with Disabilities Act. A playground is nearby. Finally, the crews need to demolish the existing boiler.
The project to convert the gym costs $4.8 million. The state grant plus the county’s matching money equals $5.5 million. It is expected some of the leftover grant funds will be used for the media center and other upgrades. The board voted to take more money for completion from the district’s ½ cent sales tax fund. The ½ sales tax is money Alexander County shares with the schools.