Board approves property exchange with Coweta County and multiple CEC change orders

The Coweta County Board of Education on June 2 approved an intergovernmental agreement to exchange property with Coweta County, along with quick‑claim deeds and a temporary construction easement. The agreement requires the county to acquire 2.089 acres of permanent right‑of‑way from the district, valued at $70,196; to balance the value difference the county will provide labor to convert a driveway into approximately 42 additional parking spaces at Northgate, with materials valued at about $38,492.50 and county labor estimated at roughly $50,000. The board approved the agreement unanimously.

During the same meeting the board approved a slate of construction change orders at the Central Educational Center (CEC). Change order proposal #14—work to add and modify the dental assistant lab and classroom—was presented at $90,587. Change order #16—adding a fire pump (60 PSI at 500 GPM) after hydraulic calculations found the water supply inadequate—was listed at $74,874. Change order #19—to replace a flat roof on a connecting hallway—was $26,875. The board also approved a $17,154 change order to provide omitted library shelving at Thomas Crossroads Elementary. Dr. Horton noted the project began with roughly $2.2 million in contingency; $335,186 in change orders had been approved to date, and staff reported $1.93 million remaining prior to the meeting’s approvals. He warned more change orders may be required and accepted responsibility for oversights.

Board members pressed the architect, Frank Campo of Southern Architects and Engineers, and staff about why omissions and multiple change orders occurred. Campo said contributing factors included coordination challenges with West Georgia Technical College, program requirements that were not fully expressed in contract documents, and the complexity of renovating an occupied facility. Dr. Horton said the district follows a documented change‑order approval process and that supporting documentation is reviewed before approval.

The meeting also cleared several PTO‑funded projects: a Willis Road Elementary outdoor classroom (estimated $34,541.62), and an Arco Sergeant Elementary PTO basketball court (estimated $38,651.88). All items discussed in this section were approved unanimously (7–0).

Board members emphasized oversight and the need to limit avoidable change orders going forward; Dr. Horton pledged follow‑up and said staff will continue to use contingency appropriately.