Whitfield County Schools' new district office to open Monday

Brady Hix, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·2 min read

May 8—After two years of planning, remodeling and construction on the former North Whitfield Middle School building at 3264 Cleveland Highway, the site is scheduled to officially open as Whitfield County Schools' new district office on Monday, said Superintendent Mike Ewton.

During a recent Whitfield County Board of Education meeting at Valley Point Middle School, Ewton gave an update on the timeline for administration and staff members to move into the building from the current central office building at 1306 S. Hamilton St.

"This Friday, May 10, will be the last day of operation at the current central office," Ewton said. "On Monday, May 13, central office receptionists in particular will begin work at the new building, so that will be the last day of public facing at the central office."

Ewton said the system's Student Services Center at 201 E. Tyler St. will briefly close at the end of the month to allow for staff members to relocate to the district office.

Ewton said the Student Services Center, which currently houses enrollment services, will operate as warehouse space instead of office space, with on-site staff being cut from 45 to "about four."

"The Student Services Center will close on May 31 and reopen on June 3," he said. "That's when the enrollment center will go public from its current location on Tyler Street to the district office."

Once the central office is emptied and closed to the public next week, Ewton said the system will continue to own the building, with potential plans to put it "on the market."

After staff from all offices are inside the new district building, Ewton said an open house is scheduled for the public on Wednesday, June 19, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Deputy Superintendent Karey Williams said the system will hold a retirement celebration for three longtime Whitfield County Schools staff members: High School Curriculum Director Tom Appelman, Elementary School Curriculum Director Lisa Jones and Digital Learning Specialist Ge-Anne Bowdoin.

The celebration will be on Wednesday, May 29, at 12:30 p.m. at the Northwest Georgia College & Career Academy and is open to the community.

During the meeting, board members approved 4-0 (Vice Chair Jamie Johnson was absent) several purchase orders, including:

— Fire alarm inspections at all system locations by Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, totaling $33,688.

— Mowing services from Trammell Lawn Care of Cedartown, totaling $114,684.51.

— Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value 10 replacement air filters from Carolina Filters Inc., totaling $61,623.15.