This online news website is owned and operated by Becky Watts. The Editor can be reached at 770-468-7583 or at editor(at)PikeCountyTimes(dot)com. Pike County Times is a website for citizens to keep up with local events and stay informed about Pike County government. It began on November 13, 2006 as a watchdog on county government and has turned into an online newspaper.
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ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Education has announced the list of projects that will be repaired or renovated if the ESPLOST 4 passes in the November 2012 vote. This is an election to decide whether or not to allow a one cent sales tax to be collected for education. This Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales and Use Tax (E-SPLOST) is already being collected on purchases here in the county but is slated to end in June of 2012.
The current E-SPLOST was used to build the new Middle School. The High School was also built using E-SPLOST funds. One important thing to note, the E-SPLOST is not the same thing as the SPLOST that is being used to renovate the Courthouse but it is currently ongoing so there would not be a change in the amount of sales collected if this E-SPLOST is approved.
The total amount of renovation and repair projects is for $4,102,029.00. It includes $1,000,000 in technology upgrades to upgrade 8 year old software, update internet capabilities, and upgrading existing computers. Road and parking lot repairs are needed campus wide as well as repairs to all of the schools, the auditorium, and the old Middle School A and B buildings. A new track and the resurfacing of the tennis court is also included.
A slim majority of voters said no the E-SPLOST when it came to a vote in 2011 in Pike County with a vote of 591-540 though neighboring Lamar County passed theirs by a wide margin. The Pike County Board of Education is getting the proposed projects out to the voters to show what could be accomplished for the Pike County School System through community cooperation.
Click here for the list of projects.
Click here for answers to questions about E-SPLOST.
Click here for a past article about the E-SPLOST.