At a special called board meeting on July 7, 2025 the board voted to contract with Austin Construction and Gerald Abernathy Backhoe and Dozer to make construction revisions to Bobby Barrett Elementary and Mount Ida High School.
The process began with a safety and security audit and the recommendations in the report began a year-long process to make areas more secure for public access, and to improve the front entrance of the elementary school.
The Bobby Barrett Beautification Committee was formed with employees, community members, and parents who worked with an architecture firm, Lewis Architects and Engineers, that the district hired to spearhead the improvements. After several meetings with the architect the renditions were completed, bids gained, and these were presented to the school board for approval.
Fencing along an existing sidewalk from the community parking lot to the school was funded through a grant and then installed. This fencing will be attached to a new inviting structure containing the Mount Ida Logo which will greet visitors as they approach the front doors of the school. At one end of the structure a gate will be installed and the visitor will be “buzzed-in” and received into a double-glasses vestibule. The glass partitions were also a recommendation during the safety audit.
At the high school improvements will include installing a sidewalk along the hillside from the parking lot to the football field. This will allow for safer foot travel when parking at the Multipurpose Building.
The district will do their best to not allow construction to interfere with the day-to-day operations of school.
In efforts to make both campuses safe,r a grant was written to also have a new visitor badge system installed. When visiting BBE or the high school, adults will need to present a driver’s license so that they will be given a removable badge to wear while in the building.
“The safety for our students, parents, and community was the focus of these endeavors, and we appreciate the support of Bobby Barrett’s Beautification Committee and Mount Ida’s Board of Trustees for their time, effort, and continual support to make these improvements to our campuses” stated Ann Gardner, Superintendent of Mount Ida Schools.
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