Architectural rendition of new Menlo School building

The Chattooga Board of Education met on Thursday evening and voted to move forward with plans to construct a new school in Menlo.

The vote was 4-1 to proceed with the plans.  Board members Eddie Elsberry, Lyn Hall, B.J. Montgomery and Brad Hayes voted in favor of the measure.  Dr. Julia Houston, who had previously vocalized her opposition to a new school for Menlo, voted against the motion made to decommission the current facility.

Board Chairman Eddie Elsberry told WZQZ News on Thursday evening that the vote to decommission the current facility will start the preliminary process to construct a new Menlo school.

Elsberry explained the decommission process: “It a process that has to be done by July 1 in order to maximize the amount of money earned toward the construction of new school. The state estimates we will earn about 3 million if we decommission before July 1.  A decommissioned can continue to be occupied but it does not earn money. Instead, the earned money is at a higher rate toward the future school.”

The school facilities at Menlo are the oldest in Chattooga County, with some portions of the building dating back over eight decades.