The Lincoln County School Board is considering a 10-year facilities plan for each school in the district, based on county engineer Ryan Holmes’ recommendation.

At the school board meeting Monday, Holmes presented a plan to the board that Superintendent Mickey Myers and himself had discussed.

“Mr. Mickey and I have talked about going to all four of our attendance centers and doing some master planning,” Holmes said. “We want to look at all the facilities, from classrooms to parking to athletic facilities, and just assess the needs that are there now. Basically, we want to develop a 10-year plan of what the needs are and how we need to be spending capital-improvement money. It would take a lot of coordination with the principals and staff. We would look at the long-term cost and overall age of the buildings, the roof structures and air conditioners. Those things can sneak up on you and end up being a lot of money. This plan would be a living document because two years from now, your needs may change.”

Holmes suggested the board allow him to take a day per school to do an initial walk-through, with the help of staff from each school and the board members.

“Obviously we would go back as needed to gather more information and pictures,” Holmes said. “We propose about $1,500 per school to go do this and to bring you a report in about 60 days.”

The board tabled the proposal in order to review materials Holmes presented.

District 5 county barn

District 5 Supervisor Doug Falvey on Monday requested the board and District 5 develop a written agreement that allows the county barn to be on Loyd Star school property.

“I don’t know that we’ve got a signed agreement to be there, and I don’t know if it was an agreement verbally made between the previous county superintendent and the previous supervisor,” Falvey said. “I was talking to our attorney Bob Allen, because I was wanting to add on to the building we’ve got out there, and evidently we don’t have a signed agreement to be there.”

“According to what Bob told me, the Loyd Star school owns four acres and 12 acres, and the county barn is on the four acres,” Falvey said. “I’ve got the existing building and what I am proposing is to add on some office space and add a fence. We’ve had a couple of burglaries out there in the last month, and we need to do a little security work. I didn’t want to do anything without some kind of signed agreement or proposal.”

Myers agreed with Falvey that without a signed agreement there were liability concerns, but the board wanted to work with District 5. The board tabled Falvey’s request until the next meeting in order to allow time for a written agreement to be created.

In other board business:

• The board listened to the concerns of community members Dr. Barbara Buie, Mary McMorris and Pastor Dr. Eugene Edwards regarding hiring minority teachers and staff throughout the school district.

• The board began the meeting in executive session to discuss extending two contracts. Both extended contracts were approved during the open session.

• The board tabled a proposal that $25,000 be provided to Loyd Star to complete and furnish classrooms in the vocational building.

• Myers informed the board that the Bogue Chitto girl’s basketball team would be visiting the Mississippi Legislature Wednesday at 2 p.m.

• Myers reported to the board that he is compiling a list of applicants for the principal positions at Bogue Chitto and West Lincoln attendance centers, and will present it to the board at the April 18 meeting.