By BETH ALSTON

beth.alston@americustimesrecorder.com

AMERICUS — The Sumter County Board of Education voted unanimously earlier this week in a called session to purchase approximately 440 acres from the Americus-Sumter Payroll Development Authority (PDA), at a cost of $3,850 per acre. The land will be the site of the new $40-million high school. The site is located across Southerfield Road from South Georgia Technical College.
The local board must wait 120 days until a survey is done to determine the final number of acres needed to build the new facility. Board chair, Dr. Mike Busman, said the deal must also pass muster with the Georgia Department of Education. Design and construction documents should take a year, and construction 18 months to two years.
The Americus-Sumter PDA initially sold 449.1 acres at the same site to be developed for a Motorsports Complex. That deal was for $830,878. That project never came to fruition.
Parrish Construction was chosen recently by the school board to be project manager and builder of the new high school. Buckley & Associates is the architect. It will take appoximately three years to complete construction on the new high school which will house grades 9-12.
Board member Alice Green was absent at the called meeting, so did not cast a vote.