The Cobb Board of Education on Thursday approved a special request from Superintendent Chris Ragsdale to build a $50 million multi-purpose facility for a variety of academic and instructional purposes.
During a work session Thursday afternoon, Ragsdale said the most important reason to have such a facility is for high school graduations.
He presented an outline for a facility that would be used nearly every day of the year, and would be able to hold 8,000 people for commencement exercises. There also would be an accompanying parking deck.
A location hasn’t been announced; Ragsdale said he couldn’t offer a timetable for construction until land is purchased.
Currently, most Cobb graduations are at the KSU Convocation Center, which holds 4,000.
Other uses for the building would be for SAT/ACT testing, college and job fairs, band and fine arts programs, science fairs, robotics competitions and other special events.
Currently the school district pays to rent the KSU arena and other facilities for some of those special events, including employee recognitions at Roswell Street Baptist Church.
Ragsdale had wanted a multi-purpose facility included in the current Cobb Education SPLOST VI sales tax, but the school board deleted it, citing more pressing facility needs.
Cobb school district construction and maintenance are financed with SPLOST funds. But in his proposal Thursday, Ragsdale said the project would be funded with $23.4 million from the sales of former school properties—including Mountain View and Brumby elementaries in East Cobb—and $26.6 million in current and future capital outlay reimbursements.
“If there is a top priority for using one-time funds, this is the top priority,” Ragsdale said during a board discussion.
While the vote was 6-1, some board members expressed concerns about school district facility needs elsewhere in the county.
Becky Sayler of Post 2 in South Cobb, who was the only vote against, said that “while I can see the need for this, I don’t feel like it’s a pressing need.”
Ragsdale disagreed, saying that “for far too long, we have had families that cannot have grandparents on both sides attend a once-in-a-lifetime event.
“I think it’s very pressing. Literally, we owe this to the parents. We have tried to find a solution for this for years.”
The closest similar facility is a new convocation center and gymnasium at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta.
Although he didn’t offer specific dollar figures, Ragsdale said it’s getting more expensive to hold graduation and other events that can now be consolidated in one district-operated facility.
“All of those things are going to cost us exponentially more money to do this year,” Ragsdale said.
He said the main challenge now will be obtaining land for the new facility, especially in finding enough land in a relatively central location in Cobb County.
“I feel like the stars have aligned,” said board member David Chastain of Post 4 in Northeast Cobb. “The finances are there. If we wait any longer, we’re not going to have the geography that we need to build this.”
“It’s very important to do this today, while we still can,” added board member Randy Scamihorn, who made the motion to approve the project.
Board member Tre’ Hutchins of South Cobb made a motion to delay the vote until the board’s Thursday evening meeting, but withdrew it.
Related:
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- Cobb Schools Foundation honors volunteers of the year
- East Cobb high schools named Georgia AP Honors schools
- Ragsdale contract extended; Dickerson, Dodgen projects approved
- Cobb schools to pay graduate degree costs for 500 teachers
- Simpson MS STEAMapalooza showcases a variety of activities
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What a waste of money! Who is paying for this?
I’d rather rent a boat than own one. What is wrong with renting space for programs that are only needed a few times a year?
Went to high school in Cobb County, Wheeler. Our 1972 Graduation was just fine and held all the family members that wanted to attend. It was in the football stadium, which was bleacher seating and grass for the floor, folding chairs for the students. I realize things change but I can think of many other places this money could be spent, not to mention lowering our taxes!
Dear East Cobb News- Could you please make your ads the same size so when they rotate it doesn’t shift the text every 2 seconds? It makes it frustrating and impossible to read the articles!
Where else in this free world can a 50+ million dollar building get approved when the Leader simply pops up with a bizarre proposal, declares “I say we need it,” and puts it to a vote????? No details, no data, no pro forma financial statements, no public review, no bidding process, no feasibility study from staff, nothing but a quick vote from his usual six rubber stamps!!!!!
Folks, this could only happen in the Cobb County School District!
In the years that I’ve lived in Cobb, my income has increased at a much lower rate than my taxes. This is what happens when you give government too much money.
This is what you get when you blindly vote YES on every SPLOST.
What a complete and utter waste of taxpayer funds.
Consider this as Leader Ragsdale springs his plan to build a 50 million dollar “special use facility.” His justification: “We need this facility so both sets of grandparents can attend graduation.” Given the demographics of our district, it would certainly be more meaningful and convenient for family members to attend these special events in their local schools where their children attended. He is already spending significant sums upgrading theaters and auditoriums across the district. The needs represented by these special events could certainly be equitably addressed without spending at least 50 million dollars for one building plus the cost of land acquisition, a project which will take years to come to fruition, if ever.
I adamantly oppose Cobb County having this facility. Graduations can be held at the schools. My graduation ceremony was held on our football field. There is no justification for school districts to have any facilities other than classroom buildings (possibly maintenance/ parking areas for buses). I also oppose theaters and planetaria.