FORT WALTON BEACH — The Okaloosa County School Board approved a $1.1 million renovation at the Northwood Elementary School campus as part of the ongoing process to begin a fine and performing arts program there in August.
The board voted 3-1 to go forward with the project, which will renovate existing space into four classrooms with their own bathrooms. Board member Cathy Thigpen was absent.
Read the agenda item about the renovation proposal »
Board member Melissa Thrush voted against the project after expressing concerns that the funding might be used elsewhere to meet immediate needs.
“I am a proponent for the changes at Northwood,” she said. “I guess I would like to see the growth at the school prior to spending those funds to complete it.”
She suggested the district might consider using the money to finish classrooms inside neighboring Richbourg School instead because it already had students to meet the need.
Board member Dewey Destin also raised questions and said after the meeting that he had voted yes with some hesitation.
“How do we come to a point that we’re going to spend a million dollars on a classroom?” Destin asked during the meeting.
Board chairman Rodney Walker said the board had designated about $800,000 toward this project a few years ago, but then-Superintendent Alexis Tibbetts had requested they postpone it because the space wasn’t needed then.
When Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson took over, she asked to move the funding back for the project and after seeing the continued growth in the north end of the county, Walker said it made sense to finish the classrooms, which were gutted in the first round.
Facilities director Bill Smith echoed Walker’s words and said the district had already used almost all the portables it had dealing with north-end growth.
“I feel quite comfortable that we have a need for the space,” Smith said.
The $1.1 million budget will go toward not only reconfiguring the space but also funding new lights and flooring, according to the documents submitted with the proposed renovation.
The money would also cover the cost of a fence modification necessary for the project and repair of an existing concrete canopy roof.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.