By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Construction of a new high school sits at the top of Hartselle’s City School Board’s five-year capital improvement plan.
The chances of the project getting off the ground anytime soon are remote, however, considering the absence of a funding source. A property tax adjustment proposed last year failed at the ballot box and later talk of a sales tax increase was put on the back burner pending recovery of a sagging economy.
In addition, a $300,000 a year commitment of out-of-district student fees by the school board and $487,767 for capital outlays in the current school system budget pale in comparison to the estimated $40 million a new high school plant would cost.
This leaves 16 other earmarked capital projects with the possibility of getting funded this school year.
Of these, a priority rank of two, three and four belongs to Hartselle High School for renovation and roofing projects. A proposed renovation at Crestline Elementary School is ranked number five and central heating and air conditioning projects at Hartselle High come in at priority six and seven.
Priority eight is a renovation project at Barkley Bridge Elementary School and roofing projects at Hartselle Junior High claim priorities nine, 10 and 11. Hartselle High roofing projects are listed at priority 12 and 14, a roofing project at Crestline Elementary School is listed at 12, a renovation at Hartselle High is 15, a renovation project at Crestline is 16 and an addition to Crestline is 17.