Clinton City Schools are expecting to spend just over $24 million to maintain their schools in the system over the next five years.

Clyde Locklear, assistant superintendent of finance and facilities for the system, recently presented his plan, required by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), to board members for approval.

“This is our long range facility plan,” he told board members. “We are also sending this to DPI, as well as our county commissioners. This plan can not include any administrative facilities, central offices, bus garages, that sort of thing, it is all educational facilities.”

Locklear said the bulk of the funding will come from the serious needs of the older schools in the system. At least two of which, need new roofs (L.C. Kerr and Butler Avenue Schools).

“Most of these schools were built in the 1950-1960 era,” he explained. “L.C. Kerr was built in the 1960s, so was Butler Avenue. Butler Avenue had renovations back in 1992, but that was 20 years ago. The same with Sunset Avenue. That building was built in the 1950s and we have had to renovate in the early 1990s and again, in early 2000. We are now coming into another renovation cycle and these schools have a host of needs that need attention.”

The board got one roof started already — the Sunset Avenue School gym will have a new roof put on this year. On Thursday, the board approved a $110,023 bid from Triangle Roofing Systems, out of Raleigh, to begin work on the new gym roof. The roof is expected to be complete by April.

Another building included in the list was the new College Street School. “That school would be renovated in the first five years of the plan,” he said. “The main issue would be the first and second floor renovations.” Those renovations are expected to cost upward of $2 million.

The good news for Clinton City Schools is that the system is not expecting a major increase or a big decrease in students over the next six years.

“We are expected to stay around the 3,000 student range,” said Locklear. “We are holding pretty consistent with our numbers.”

However, Locklear did mention the need to accommodate students just starting out in the system with bigger classrooms. For example, L.C. Kerr has classrooms just over 600 or 700 square feet. “The guidelines have changed since that school was built back in the 60s,” he said. “The main building there has those smaller classrooms, they need to be 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. We are having classes everyday in that school that are probably half of what is recommended today. We are anticipating that new classrooms will help get that facility up to where it needs to be.”

The plan includes 18 new classrooms at the school for pre-K and K-1 graders at the tune of just over $2.5 million.

Locklear said Thursday that in addition to general maintenance of all the schools, with the exception of Clinton High, where they will work on painting, computer wiring and general maintenance of the school, security is an issue.

“The next major concern that we have is upgrades to the locks and doors in the system,” he said. “We are looking at electronic locks that will help us improve some of the security issues that we have in the older schools. We want the administrators and teachers to have access cards to the buildings so that will help with security. We don’t want to have people just walking in and out of all areas of the buildings — just have it so they can come in and out of the front doors.”

The plan calls for each of the older schools to spend $20,000 each on the card system; as well as planned security camera system upgrades at Butler Avenue; L.C. Kerr and Sunset Avenue.

To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@heartlandpublications.com.