Fannin County School Superintendent Shannon Dillard-Miller said the system’s students now have “a facility to support their abilities.”
Dillard-Miller was speaking of the new greenhouse that will be built next to the Agriculture Center.
She made the comment as school officials, FFA students, advisors, contractors and community members gathered last Friday morning to break ground for the building.
The 2,880 square foot structure will sit directly across from the Ag Center.
School board members approved a Guaranteed Maximum Price of $347,254 for the building at their September meeting. That cost will be paid for from Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for education receipts.
Dillard-Miller told the gathering how the growth of the agriculture program in the schools has “outgrown what has now become inadequate,” speaking of current greenhouse facilities.
She praised the leadership skills shown by the students in the FFA program. “We’re fortunate to have a program like this,” the superintendent said. “The new greenhouse will “make our system better.”
Darren Danner, the schools’ chief operations officer and senior executive, said the greenhouse is another sign of “everything falling into place.”
Once it is completed, the old greenhouse space at the high school will be used for the auto mechanics program.
Next will come the Health and Wellness Complex. Details of that complex were presented to school board members later that day. (See related story).
Dillard-Miller also thanked the local community, saying all the progress discussed Friday – the greenhouse, expansion of auto mechanics, and the new complex at the high school – is thanks to the SPLOST for education. Those monies are received because of community support for the tax.