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“The impact of this investment could shape Pooler for the next 75 years, or well into the end of the 21st century,” said Pooler Mayor Karen Williams at a press conference on Monday.
You are viewing: Pooler mayor, Savannah schools super discuss possible $170M investment
The investment is the proposed $170 million earmarked by the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System for a potential West Chatham Complex. The proposed complex could contain a K-8 school (costing a possible $55 million), Pooler’s first high school (costing a possible $95 million) and an athletic complex (at a possible cost of $20 million) as detailed in the the district’s Blueprint for the Future.
The money slated for the Pooler projects is a portion of $705 million estimated funds within the school district’s broader Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) V plan. The school board approved the plan at the Dec. 18 board meeting, which has set a March 18, 2025 vote by the public on the referendum―one day after the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival.
Construction would not begin on possible ESPLOST V projects for at least three to five years should the referendum pass.
Much ‘thinking and planning’ still to do
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The district’s Executive Director of Capital Projects Sonny Batra shared projected design and construction timelines for the complex at the school board’s Dec. 18 Informal Session. Batra said then that the current West Chatham Elementary and Middle schools, which sit on the site now, “may not be demolished together.” The district may have to use one school as a swing site while the other is being taken down.
He also noted during the Informal Session that cost estimates were based on the district’s latest ESPLOST projects, such the $94 million to rebuild Windsor Forest High School, which was funded by ESPLOST IV. He said ultimately that “a lot of thinking has to go in, a lot of planning has to go in before we do anything.”
Monday’s press conference identified the K-8 school and high school are mainstays of the proposal, yet the athletic complex viability has yet to be fully determined. Outgoing District 7 School Board Representative Michael Johnson had been advocating for a high school in Pooler since he came onto the board eight years ago. He said by email Monday morning that while the K-8 school and high school make up the bulk of the investment he is “hopeful to be able to get the athletic complex on the site, however with the growth of Pooler we need to make sure we have enough seats for students.”
Williams shares Johnson’s has high hopes for the possible athletic complex that would give the Pooler community a “unity and camaraderie” around school-age sports that the city has yet to experience. No specific design plans have been drawn up for either of the school facilities or the proposed $20 million athletic facility.
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At the press conference Watts also reiterated the district’s commitment to listening to the public as it makes capital project decisions, noting the district’s investment in Pooler Elementary as evidence. Rather than demolish or sell the aging facility, the district has chosen to acknowledge how the nearly 75-year-old building “laid the foundation for education” in Pooler. She has expressed at recent board meetings that Pooler Elementary could be reimagined as an early childhood learning center while the new K-8 school would meet west Chatham’s elementary grade needs.
For its part, the city of Pooler aims to invest more in infrastructure in the upcoming year, according to City Manager Heath Lloyd. Acknowledging the growth and traffic challenges mentioned by the mayor and Johnson, Lloyd said, “In the 2025 budget, we’re putting $35 million in our roadways.”
He then called the investment a “drop in the bucket for what we’re going to do.”
Between now and March 18, the public must weigh the possibilities and unknowns related to ESPLOST, which essentially identifies and prioritizes general capital outlay needs within the school district. Although specific projects within the package, such as the West Chatham Complex, might be planned, the particulars of each project are still unfolding and will continue to unfold once―and if―the referendum passes and as projects are designed and constructed. Changes in the costs of supplies and materials also could impact the final price tag of any project and are variables the district cannot predict with 100% certainty.
Watts and district leaders plan to hold educational meetings with families and community stakeholders about ESPLOST V in the new year.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [email protected].
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