Ranger to get new classrooms
By Dwight Otwell Editor

Ranger School will get seven new classrooms and to the future relief of everyone at the school, additional restrooms.

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners Monday gave its approval for the school board to use lottery money to finance the much needed classrooms and restrooms. If lottery proceeds don't measure up to expectations and projections, the school board has agreed to use its sales tax money for the rest of the needed financing.

Cherokee County Schools Finance Director Terelle Beaver asked the board to formally approve the use of lottery proceeds for up to 15 years to service the debt for the seven classrooms and bathrooms.

Beaver said the lottery stream, which was previously about $180,000, seems to fit the debt service of the estimated $1.78 million price tag for the additions.

Ranger is the most severely overcrowded school in the county, utilizing several trailers for classrooms. There is only one restroom for girls and one for boys in the elementary/ middle school.

Beaver said school officials want to engage an architect this year with hopes that construction could begin as soon as school is out at the end of the 2007/2008 school year. It could be late winter when the project is bid out, she said.

School Board member Dr. Brian Mitchell told the county commissioners that the school system would be glad to use sales tax revenue allotted to the school for the project if lottery proceeds aren't sufficient.

"The school board puts this (Ranger project) at the highest priority," he said.

County Attorney Scott Lindsay will draw a resolution to implement the request and the board of commissioners will consider approving it at the next county commission meeting on November 5.

In another matter, the board approved the bid of Road Rescue of $179,131 for three ambulances. The bid of McCoy Miller was slightly lower at $176,500 but the commissioners said the Road Rescue bid met their criteria. There was a total of three bids.

Other action saw the board approve the request of Freedom Valley Biodiesel to put recycling containers at convenience centers around the county.

The commissioners approved a five-year service agreement with Blue Ridge Mountain EMC for fiber optic cable so that a fiber optic loop can be placed for county buildings. Arrest report