03/17/04
Groundbreaking for new central facility will be held soon
Pearce Construction in Huntsville has been selected to build the new central office and teacher resource center for the Madison City school system.
Assistant Superintendent Dee Fowler said a groundbreaking ceremony will be held soon at the site, which is located on the same property as the new multipurpose Madison City Schools Stadium off Celtic Drive.
"The new central office and teacher resource center will be a two-story building and will contain approximately 20,509 square feet of space," Fowler said. "The cost of the building is $2,066,063."
Construction could begin later this month.
Since becoming its own school system in 1998, Madison City Schools has been working out of a small building and connecting trailers that were once Madison City Hall off Sullivan Street. During the past six years, Fowler said, the local school system has grown from 5,638 students to more than 6,860 this year.
"The same staff that is working in the central office we have on Sullivan Street will be moved to the new building once it's finished," he said.
Some of the groundwork and parking lot areas for the office and resource center were completed during the construction of the multipurpose stadium.
"We purchased the property knowing that we would build the new central office and teacher resource center there," Fowler said. "This new facility will contain a technology training area as well as a location to keep teaching materials in."
Construction of Columbia Elementary School on Balch Road is on schedule. It is set to open in time for the 2004-2005 school year. The design of Columbia is similar to Rainbow Elementary School, with two floors, on Nance Road.
Construction of the addition at Discovery Middle School is also on schedule. It is expected to be completed in time for the 2004-2005 school year.
The redistricting of the Madison City school system is currently under way with plans to put the new district lines into effect for the next school year.