By Terry Schrimscher
CLAY — Students at Clay-Chalkville High School will have a new campus by the 2027 school year if all goes according to plan.
Clay City Manager Ronnie Dixon, who also serves on the Jefferson County Board of Education, announced the news during the Clay City Council meeting at Clay City Hall Tuesday night, April 9.
“In the May Board of Education meeting, we will begin the issuing of bonds to build a new Clay-Chalkville High School,” Dixon said during his report to the council.
“The architect started working on it a few months ago. We’re to the point of having aerial photos and the beginning of the layouts.”
“It’s a 30-month process, so by school year 2027 we should be in that new facility,” Dixon added.
Speaking to the Trussville Tribune, Dixon said a new football complex would, tentatively, be built first.
Then, a new school will be built where the existing football complex is located.
The football team would play in the new complex for the 2026 season while the new school is being built.
“We’ll have a new football complex. Everything else, baseball, softball, tennis, will stay where it is,” Dixon said.
“Everything on the high school side will be rebuilt and demolished,” he said.
“We’re sorry that we only got 30 years out of the school that was supposed to last for 50 but we’re glad to be able to get it replaced because that school is in really bad shape,” he said adding that the current school does not feature a tornado shelter.
Dixon said the bond issue should be around $200 million. Clay-Chalkville would be the first of several anticipated school rebuilds in the system.
In other business, the council held a public hearing on the condemnation of a home at 6964 Mountain View Drive NE. No one was present to speak but Dixon explained that the city has located the mortgage at PNC Bank. The bank is expected to begin work cleaning the property and bringing it up to safety standards.
The council approved a resolution condemning the property but does not expect to have to take action due to the intervention by the bank.
Chief Logistics Officer Chris Horn, of the Center Point Fire District, gave an update for the month of March. Horn reported 860 calls for the month.
“We have three recruits that are going to graduate from fire college on Friday,” Horn said. “We are out doing fire hydrant testing. If your water turns brown, let it run a little bit longer and it will clear up.”
Horn told the council there are several private fire hydrants owned by the city that need repairs. It is unknown how much work will be required but it could reach several thousand dollars.
The next meeting of the Clay City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 23, 2024 at City Hall. Council meeting agendas are usually posted on the city website at clayalabama.org.