The Darlington County School Board will examine options for two construction projects.
Representatives from architectural firm Jumper, Carter and Sease made a presentation on Monday regarding two proposed improvements.
Renovation of the kitchen and cafeteria at Brockington Elementary and a new gymnasium at Hartsville High School took center stage.
Architects presented three designs for renovations at Brockington Elementary to increase the size of the kitchen and cafeteria. The options ranged from $5 million to $5.6 million in costs, up from the estimated $3.2 million.
The costs escalated because the $3.2 million option would not solve the seating problem at the school, which could hinder future reconstruction. Two of the options, all of which the board will consider on its work session scheduled for July 31, would give the school a new cafeteria, kitchen, media center, and needed classrooms and office space.
The cafeteria can only seat a little more than 100 students currently, which causes the serving period to go from 10:30 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. With renovations, the serving time would be cut because the seating would be increased to 256 students.
Proposed construction of a new gymnasium at Hartsville High School would cost as much as $6 million. The facility would be adjacent to the existing gym and have a new lobby and new locker rooms.
Seating in the gym would increase from nearly 1,500 to 2,200 and would allow the school to continue use of the old gym for other events.
Assistant Superintendent Linda Graham also presented a new partnership program. The Parent Empowerment Plan intends to further unite parents, teachers and the community to better the education students receive.
The focus would be on developing materials and information that allow families and communities to get more involved in a child’s learning, Graham said.
The program will reach out to ministers and community members, as well as parents, to increase community involvement. The program includes offering tutoring sessions to parents and helping parents set up free email accounts to stay in better contact with others.
The board also received a transportation update from Transportation Director Eddie McKenzie. The next board meeting is Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. in the Darlington County School District Administrative Annex 1, 102 Park St., Darlington.
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