Most schools across Henry County will each have a new electronic message sign by year-end. Henry County Schools approved the project during their March 2023 meeting. Education SPLOST VI funds, approved by voters in 2021, will pay for the work.
The project covers forty-one of the district’s schools. Locations part of other SPLOST projects, such as classroom additions, will see their message boards during those projects.
Electronic Message Sign Project
Henry County Schools accepted construction bids until March 2, 2023. The district received three bids. Sunbelt Builders of Conyers, GA submitted the lowest bid. The construction cost equals $2,649,556. Construction work will commence in April. Expected completion is December 2023.
The electronic message sign project has two separate approaches. For elementary schools, the project will remove in its entirely the current sign. Then, the contractor will install a new sign with brick masonry and the electronic board. On the other hand, middle and high school projects will preserve the existing brick signage. The contractor will remove the letter board and install the new sign within the existing monument-based signage.
Henry County Schools previously built an electronic message sign at the Academy for Advanced Studies in McDonough. This project, finishing in 2021, was the district’s pilot for the new sign. Subsequently, the Fairview Elementary School exterior modifications contract in 2022 included their new sign. The Dutchtown High School classroom addition also covered the signs for DHS, DMS and DES. The district will use a similar approach for future projects at Ola, Union Grove and Locust Grove. This location-specific approach saves dollars since contractors will already be on-site for larger projects.
When complete, the electronic signs allow school personnel to relay messages with ease. No longer will staff have to manually change out letters at the school entrance. This saves time and allows school staff to more regularly update their message boards.
Featured image shows electronic message sign at the Academy for Advanced Studies. Google photo.
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