Claxton school may be finished by July ’26

February 21, 2024 by Ben Pounds

The new Claxton Elementary School’s construction may be completed by July 2026, officials say.

Anderson County Director of Schools Tim Parrott gave that date during a meeting of the county Board of Education on Feb. 6.

He discussed it an interview afterward. Parrott said he hoped to get the project put out for bids by late November. The new school will be at 105 Fellowship Lane in Powell.

Parrott said the current school, at 2218 Clinton Highway in Powell, is old and has safety issues.

“I think this is going to be something that community’s needed for a long time,” he said.

He said the school system was looking to have the school STEM certified, a certification that involves methods of teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The contract went to the Anderson County Purchasing Committee on Monday, and that meeting’s agenda laid out some of the new school’s features.

It will be about 124,000 square feet and include four classrooms each for kindergarten through fifth grade. along with other facilities.

The school will replace many of the existing church buildings currently on that site, but it will keep an existing auditorium and possibly the existing kitchen and cafeteria on the site.

The documents describe a $20 million budget for the project.



Softball Field

Clinton High School’s new softball field may be ready for players by mid- to late March..

“Clinton High School’s never had [its] own field,”Parrott said. “[The school has]just had to share it.

“So when we get this done, it’s going to make it a lot better,” he said, while adding that construction had been “a long, drawn-out process.”

Parrott called the new field a “centerpiece” for CHS and said it will have a training facility, field, concession stands and restrooms.

“It will be a great place that [the school]can use for years to come,” he said.



Preschool

At the February meeting, the board unanimously approved an agreement to accept the land Anderson County Preschool is currently on at 708 North Main St. as a donation from KQC Investors rather than paying rent for it.

Parrott said the school system had been paying almost $10,000 per month in rent while still having to make its own repairs to the building.