Bibb County school district breaks ground on new Veterans Elementary

Bibb County school district officials broke ground on the new Veterans Elementary School Thursday.

“Every day in Middle Georgia is armed forces day,” board member Jason Downey said. “That is an important thing for us to remember as we break ground on this new school that we call Veterans Elementary School.”

The new school will combine Morgan and Barden elementary students at the start of the 2016-17 school year.

Jason Daniel, executive director for capital programs, said the building -- located on about 16 acres -- will be two stories and have 49 rooms. It is expected to cost about $16.7 million dollars.

The school’s construction was made possible through funds collected by the 1-cent education sales tax referendum that voters passed in 2009. Another such proposal will be on the Bibb County ballot in November.

“We should be able to occupy the building no later than April 2016,” Daniel said.

He added that the building’s capacity should allow for 750 to 800 students.

“I’ll close with one quote from Louis L’Amour,” Downey said. “His quote was: ‘There will come a time when you believe you are finished, and yet that is only the beginning.’ This is our beginning.”

To contact writer David Schick, call 744-4382 or find him on Twitter@davidcschick.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Bibb County school district breaks ground on new Veterans Elementary ."