Morgan school board considers new Priceville school

At its regular meeting this past month, Morgan County School Board Chairman Billy Rhodes requested fellow board members consider the construction of a new Priceville Junior High School, in answer to continued growth in the area.

Concerned with rising inflation, Rhodes encouraged his fellow board members to ramp up plans for the needed school.

“I don’t think we need to put it off,” Rhodes said. “Everywhere I look, it is subdivision, after subdivision, after subdivision … It would take a year to get it done from the time you put the first shovel in the ground.”

Board members agreed there is a need, and they will continue talking and planning how to meet the growth.

“I think we do need to continue talking about that,” board member Adam Glenn added. “I would like more education surrounding rates and certainly the economy we’re in – I don’t know that I’m eager to jump into borrowing money in the spring; I would certainly want to research that. I’d be interested in long-term projection, but there is a need for the growth in Priceville.”

“We need to continue making plans, because it’s coming sooner rather than later, the growth that’s headed our way,” agreed board member Paul Holmes said. “I think our discussions might need to ramp up.”

Morgan Superintendent Robbie Elliott said preliminary plans are currently in the works. He said he hopes to present the board with the preliminary plans, and a preliminary budget, at the May meeting.

“The architect is drawing up plans as we speak,” he said. “Hopefully in May, like we did tonight, we will be presenting y’all with a preliminary budget and a preliminary plan so that we can look at what we want to do going forward.”