After celebrating its 50th birthday last year, Garrison-Pilcher Elementary School is about to receive a top-to-bottom modernization which will position it to serve Thomas County students for another half-century.
The Thomas County Board of Education has awarded a contract for $7.5 million to CCH Construction, Inc. of Thomasville for the renovation and modernization of Garrison-Pilcher Elementary School.
The project has been in the planning stages for the last five years and is funded through a combination of proceeds from the 2016 ESPLOST program and State Capital Outlay Funds.
Plans and specifications for the project were prepared by SRJ Architects of Albany, Georgia. A request for bids was advertised for four weeks, and bids were received from three contractors as follows: CCH Construction, Inc. of Thomasville, $7,570,136; Quillian Powell Construction of Valdosta, $8,262,000; and SRS, Inc. of Griffin, $8,021,500. The Board of Education awarded the project to the low bidder.
The entire main building that was constructed in 1968 will receive a complete modernization including a new roof, new heating and air-conditioning, new windows and doors, new ceilings and lights, new plumbing, new cabinets, new floorcovering, new paint, and many new walls.
The classroom configuration within each pod will be remodeled to make the classrooms larger. The SmartBoards will be replaced with state-of-the art, touch-screen digital display panels. The front of the campus will also be modernized with new pavement and a new canopy at the front. New security features will also be included throughout the building.
The comprehensive project will be completed in phases and will take one calendar year to complete. While each pod is being renovated, affected classrooms will be temporarily relocated to Annex 1. Work will begin in January on Pod F. It is expected that renovations of each pod will take 6-8 weeks. The pods will be renovated one at a time. Pods F, E, and D will be renovated this spring. The “core” of the school - - including the front offices, the media center, and the cafeteria and kitchen - - will be renovated during the summer of 2020 with Pods A, B, and C being renovated in the Fall of 2020.
In announcing the project, Thomas County School Superintendent Dr. Lisa Williams said, “While we are very excited about the transformation that awaits Garrison-Pilcher, we know that there will be some inconveniences associated with the progress. We will be flexible, and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our parents and community partners as we build for the future!”