Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Troup County Board of Education approved several security upgrades during Tuesday night’s school board meeting. 

Troup County schools are upgrading their burglar alarm systems and also adding new electronic door locks and badge readers.

The cost to replace the burglar alarms is $194,503.42 with Acom Integrated Solutions producing the winning bid. Funding for the alarms will come from state security grant funds. The electronic locks and badge readers will be purchased from AdoptToSolve at a cost of $320,847.21, with the funding again coming from state security grants.

The new electronic locks and badge readers will be used at Franklin Forest Elementary, Hollis Hand Elementary, Long Cane Elementary, Callaway Elementary, Hogansville Elementary, Berta Weathersbee Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Gardner Newman Middle, Callaway Middle, Long Cane Middle and The Hope Academy. All high schools, Ethel Kight Elementary, Clearview Elementary and West Point Elementary already have access control doors, according to TCSS meeting documents.  Rosemont Elementary will receive both the locking doors and badge readers as part of the new school construction. 

Some of the current systems in place are outdated, and the upgrades will allow better security for faculty, staff and students attending the schools. 

“Some of these systems are part of their original buildings,” said Dr. Pennie Tucker, Assistant Superintendent of Operations. “This will be a big benefit for our security.”

All of the security renovations are funded through the new School Security Grant. The grant allows schools to renovate security systems with a budget of $50,000. The grant was released this year and will also reimburse schools that completed security system renovations prior to the release of the funds. 

Along with the renovations to security, Tucker discussed roofing projects at LaGrange High School and Hillcrest Elementary. A new roof will be placed at LaGrange High School’s new roof vocational building and small gym. Hillcrest Elementary will get a new roof for its main building. 

The meeting also reintroduced projects still in their design phases including projects for LaGrange High School, Callaway High School, and Troup County High School. 

LaGrange High School will be receiving new softball dugouts and will be repositioning bleachers. Callaway High School will be receiving baseball and softball field improvements. Finally, Troup County High School will get brand new tennis courts for its students.

One of the in-progress designs will also be kitchen HVAC improvements for Berta Weathersbee Elementary School, Callaway Elementary School, Callaway Middle School, Franklin Forest Elementary School and Hogansville Elementary School.