Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

GHS Dedicated; Work Continues

Getting a new school up and going was one of the Gurdon School Board's goals for 1995. The new school, located on Highway 67, proved to be one of the top stories of the year in the region.

The year began with the school under construction. Crews worked to get the foundation laid, steel supports in place, walls up, rooms divided and everything else done so the school could be opened by August -- which didn't occur.

At each meeting of the board, Superintendent Bobby Smithson gave an update, telling how the crews were progressing, what had been done, how much was left to do and the financial situation of the project.

The biggest problem for the district, Smithson repeatedly told the board, was getting water and sewer services to the new location. This, he informed the board on several occasions, would add $300,000 to the cost of the school.

The reality of the situation was bids came in higher than the $300,000 originally expected and were let a second time. After much debate with the Gurdon City Council and Gurdon Water and Sewer Commission, bids were let a second time.

Round two saw the bids come in lower than the first ones, but still higher than the $300,000 projected at the start, by some $58,000. The board agreed to pick up the tab for these, and all other, overages.

From there, the board had to work on a date for dedication ceremonies for the new school. The initial concept had been to dedicate the school in August, shortly before the start of the new year.

It had been hoped everything would be completed by mid-August, and students would start the 1995-96 year there. This wasn't to be.

While construction was mostly completed by the middle of August, bids for the water and sewer project had not been let a second time. The bids came in in late September, with Bobo and Bain being approved as the contractor.

The preconstruction conference was held Oct. 27, with construction beginning Nov. 1.

Because of the water and sewer problems, and because the board didn't want to have the dedication until the parking lot was in place, the new Gurdon High School wasn't dedicated until Oct. 29.

Dr. Dianna Julian, deputy director with the Arkansas Department of Education, was the keynote speaker for the event, with ceremonies held in the school's cafetorium.

The cafetorium was packed to capacity, with standing room only as more than 400 residents showed up for the dedication and subsequent tours, during the three hour event.

The board also agreed with Smithson the gym should be started even though there wasn't enough money to complete the project.

With $700,000 in hand, bids were let on the gym project. The facility, when phase I is complete, will lack bleachers and goals. These will be added later.

Overall, however, it will cost the district more than $1 million to finish phase I.

As 1995 wound down, Smithson brought up the need to consider getting the middle and primary schools out to the GHS location in the next three to five years.

The board, though, agreed in its December meeting to allow the high school to close for two days in Jan. 1996 for moving purposes.