Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The Prattville Kindergarten School or PKS, is standing tall and sturdy as the new school is set to open its doors this fall. However, Superintendent Lymen Woodfin confirmed at the last Autauga County Board of Education, or ACBOE meeting Tuesday evening, that PKS did not pass their final inspection that occurred Sept. 25th.
“The first inspection failed due to typical issues related to new construction. It was nothing major, but a few minor items that should be remedied prior to the rescheduled inspection,” Woodfin said.
Not passing the final inspection sets back the projected move in date about a month, as it was the tentative plan to move into the new building by October. The new final inspection for the building is set for October 22nd.
“There were a few minor things that popped up. The issue when you’re doing new construction inspections is that you have to have many players at the table to be able to schedule everything. To my knowledge the issues have been resolved. If the building passes, and we expect it to, we will then be able to immediately release our plans in terms of moving out of the old PKS and moving to the new one,” Woodfin said.
Woodfin and the ACBOE have stated that the move in process should take about two weeks. If the final inspection passes on the 22nd, Woodfin stated that the tentative plan would be to move in during Thanksgiving break with virtual days before and after the holiday to limit the burden of parents needing to find childcare.
“With the break, that would cut down on the number of days that would need to go virtual, but it also gives our teachers some flexibility, what we would need to do on that. It’s not ideal. But the mid -year move is never going to be ideal. But with Thanksgiving break we can soften the blow of parents having to have childcare,” Woodfin said.
Woodfin confirmed that a local moving company will be able to work with ACS in terms of a tight schedule and time, in hopes to help speed up the process.
“I have had so many calls and emails, and I want to tell you that your excitement excites me even more. Let’s enjoy our last days in a building that has loved so many children and prepare our students for the move and change to come,” PKS principal Jodi Womble said.
However, nothing can be released definitively with plans for a move in date until after the inspection on the 22nd.
The new PKS building will be able to facilitate state of the art technology that has been specifically built to focus on early childhood development with a strict focus of a kindergartner in mind. Teachers will have child friendly resources in terms of furniture, teaching materials, playgrounds and more, Woodfin confirmed.
With 32 classrooms in total, 28 for kindergarten and four for preschool, the school will be able to accommodate over 600 kids. Construction crews are working diligently to meet the fast-approaching deadline for the new state-of-the-art kindergarten school in Prattville. While leaving tradition behind can be difficult, the old PKS building was built in the early 1900’s and wearing out the current budget and resources of Autauga County Schools. As soon as ACS can move in, the new facility has the opportunity to create new and lasting traditions, just like the old building has done for decades.
“Autauga County Schools is working to take occupancy as soon as the building is ready to ensure that there are no more vandalism issues and giving ample time to experience potential warranty claims. Once the building passes inspection, any hiccups are the responsibility of the school district,” Autauga County Schools told Elmore Autauga News.
Updated Oct. 10, 2024
