Morgan County Schools updating facilities for next school year

Wes Tomlinson, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·3 min read

Mar. 21—Morgan County Schools will spend more than $11 million in state and federal grant money on construction and various capital projects, with all expected to be completed in time for the upcoming school year.

Superintendent Tracie Turrentine said projects include a new car line at Cotaco Elementary School that was completed this week and ongoing HVAC maintenance at Danville Middle School.

At a school board meeting this month, Turrentine said the district plans to replace windows at Lacey's Spring Elementary in the classrooms toward the front of the building and plans to restructure the entrance to the school this summer.

Lacey's Spring Principal Cameron Mahan said he is pleased the building, which is over 50 years old, will get the improvements.

"We feel that this will be something the community will appreciate," Mahan said. "We feel this will let our kids and parents know that we take pride in our school and community."

Mahan said the awning to the new entrance will have the school's colors, green and white, and possibly the school logo painted on it.

"We do have people who come on site now and they're not sure where the entrance is actually located," Mahan said. "We think this will definitely solidify the entrance so parents know where to go."

Mahan said over 100 windows will be replaced at Lacey's Spring Elementary.

Brewer High School, which is also over 50 years old, will be getting a new roof this summer on the campus' main building. Then project is being funded with a state grant.

Turrentine said they will open Cotaco's car line in a few weeks after they meet with parents and guardians to direct them to the new rendezvous point.

Cotaco is located on the east side of the county, off Highway 36. When the school opens and closes each day, the car line spills all the way out onto the highway.

"The purpose of (the car line) is to get all the parents off Highway 36 because traffic was getting real backed up in the afternoons," Turrentine said. "That's where the road from Brewer High comes in and connects with the road from Union Hill School right at Cotaco School. Plus, you have Highway 36 with all these truckers traveling in the morning from Decatur to Huntsville. So yeah, the traffic is pretty bad."

Ten classrooms are currently being built on the second floor of Union Hill School. Turrentine said all classrooms should be finished by July.

The hallways and doors at West Morgan Middle School will receive a new paint job this summer. When the new high school was completed in August, the district moved grades 4 through 8 to the old high school, located adjacent to the new one.

"It's just an old school and we're cleaning it up some," Turrentine said of the old West Morgan Middle building.

Falkville Elementary and Falkville High School will have new security fencing built around their campus. Last summer, the district began replacing all HVAC units at Danville Middle School, a project expected to be completed by the end of this summer.

— wes.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.