Work is progressing on Lakeland School System’s project for a combined middle and high school. The board received an update at its March 9 meeting, and they approved related contracts at a March 2 special session.
Dr. James B. Mitchell, Jr., a founding partner of Southern Educational Strategies of Memphis, said a survey crew is ready to go on site as soon as the weather clears, but he believes the delay won’t interfere with the timeline to complete due diligence for the site.
The March 2 meeting was held to approve the contracts for the Level 1 environmental assessment and the geotechnical work. In addition to those aspects of due diligence and the property survey, he said a fourth component is evaluation of utility access into the site (electricity, water and natural gas). That is being coordinated with MLGW.
“The project is well underway with the due diligence phase,” Mitchell said. “The engineers and architects are excited about the opportunity.”
In other business, the board approved:
- Renewing its Goodwill custodial contract
- Moving the school district’s budget planning and preparation calendar back by a month to coordinate better with the city’s budgetary process
The board also held an executive session (closed to the public) during the March 9 meeting to discuss pending or current litigation. No further details were provided publicly.
