By Rupert Howell

A proposed addition to Pope School came in approximately one-third under estimated cost projections as Goodwin Enterprises, Inc. of Grenada has been selected to construct the addition as apparent low bidder in a special meeting of the South Panola School District Board of Trustees held Friday morning.

Goodwin’s bid of $816,934 for construction of the four-classroom facility, with a play gym and restrooms, came under seven others. The highest bid was $969,000.

The 9,952-square-foot addition will join the lunchroom on the south end of the existing Pope School building and replace two mobile classrooms currently in use.

Superintendent Dr. Keith Shaffer did not act surprised by the conservative bids, citing that the project comes in the time of a slow economy when contractors are searching for work.

Architect Girault Jones of Jones-Zander, Ltd., an architecture and planning firm from Grenada, recommended the low bidder’s base bid of $792,550 plus alternate number three bid—a special floor for the play gym in the amount of $24,384.

Jones’ recommendation excluded alternates two and three which included relocating an existing utility pole and electrical panel respectively.

Funding for the addition will come from the district’s  capital projects fund which presently contains  approximately $2.8 million.

Shaffer explained to trustees, “Setting aside capital improvement money each year has put us in better shape than others who have to depend on bonding capacity only.”

Other capital projects still in planning or idea stages include: a ninth grade wing at the high school, finishing the top floor of the Old Red Brick Building at Batesville Elementary, junior high school physical education facility, and roofing the Intermediate School auditorium.

Shaffer also reminded board members that there were always leaky roofs to fix in the school district.

The next meeting scheduled for trustees is the January meeting on January 20 at the Parenting Center on College Street at 7 p.m.