CANEY BAY — Brantley County Schools officials and community leaders gathered Monday afternoon for the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Brantley County Athletic and Fine Arts facility.
The celebration was for the completion of the facility, a multi-purpose project designed to serve both athletic and fine arts programs.
Superintendent Dr. Walker Todd welcomed everyone to the 5 p.m., August 24 event.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Dr. Walker. “We’re really excited to finally be able to share this facility with our students, staff and community. I’d like to recognize someone who played a big part in making this happen, our former superintendent, Dr. Kim Morgan.”
“She had a vision for this facility and worked for many years to get us to where we are today. We truly appreciate her leadership, her hard work, and her commitment to Brantley County Schools.”
Dr. Walker thanked current board members David Herrin, Kathy Hendrix, Teresa Lairsey, Teri Gibson and (chairman) Mike Kersey. He continued on with a thank you to Altman + Barrett Architects from Hahira, Ga., R.H. Tyson Construction and all the subcontractors, and Brantley County’s Facilities and Maintenance teams headed up by LaVance Gay and Craig Morgan.
“Altman + Barrett turned a vision into a plan, and eventually this beautiful facility we’re standing in today,” said Dr. Walker. “R.H. Tyson and the subcontractors did all the hard work that went into building this facility. A lot happens behind the scenes, and we appreciate LaVance and Craig for all they’ve done to help make this project happen” Dr. Morgan followed and also thanked Altman + Barrett for the time they took to work with everyone.
“It wasn’t a blueprint that had been built in another school where you just make some changes,” she said. “They met with our staff one by one. They met with our coaches, with our musical leaders. They made adjustments to get exactly what our Brantley County people wanted.
Dr. Morgan
Dr. Todd
Kersey
“I am tickled to see the completion of the building and to know there’s going to be ball games (volleyball) in here Thursday. But, this is not just a new gym. We built so much more than a gym. There’s a band room, a chorus room, training room and a weight room.”
Dr. Morgan stated a daily average of 450-500 students will utilize the gym from a student body of 950.
Altman + Barrett co-owner and CEO Walter Altman told everyone his favorite part of a project is when everybody’s happy at the end. He thanked the board for hiring his firm.
“Y’all have got something to be really proud of system-wide,” said Altman. “This facility has got to be one of the best in the state. The working environment here was fantastic. I hope we can work again.”
Chairman Kersey acknowledged prior board members Kerry Mathie, Brenda Johns and Wiley Crews for their support from the start.
“What you see today is hopefully just the groundbreaking of even more,” said Kersey. “I believe our community and our students deserve the very best. That’s what the board tries to provide and we’re going to continue to do that. I’m privileged to work on a board that’s so committed, and to the staff that’s so committed.”
Everyone exited the building for the ribbon cutting in front of the facility.
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