By JOHN THOMPSON
Staff Writer

Fayette County voters may know by the end of the week whether a special local option sales tax will be on the ballot this September to help fund $91 million worth of improvements and additions to the county's school system.

A small crowd of 50 turned out Monday night at Sams Auditorium in Fayetteville to quiz members of the Fayette County Board of Education and school system staff members about specifics in the SPLOST proposal.

While the board did not make a decision on the issue, board chairman Debbie Condon announced a special called meeting of the board at 4 p.m. Friday at the board of education building on Stonewall Avenue. While the agenda is not yet completed for the meeting, it is expected the board will reach a decision on the SPLOST proposal very soon.

During the public forum Monday night, the public sentiment seemed to be split on the additional penny of sales tax.

Barbara Buckley started the session by stating she had no idea what the board wanted to spend the money for until she read it in the paper last week. Even after reading the school system's wish list, she said she was still a little confused.

“What is this physical education facility for McIntosh High School? Is that a gym?” she asked.

Buckley took exception that just over $11 million of the SPLOST dollars would be used to fund athletic facilities throughout the county.

“Thirteen percent of the SPLOST budget is for athletics,” she said.

School officials said the proposed facility at McIntosh is indeed a gym and it is necessary because the school has outgrown the old one.

Other audience members pointed out that older schools will always have somewhat older facilities.

“You're never going to have equal facilities. There's a lot of good things in the SPLOST proposal, but we need more information on the costs of each project,” said Tim Anders.

If the SPLOST proposal is sent to the voters, concerned citizen Linda Sutton beseeched the board to open up a forum on the proposal and create a dialogue with the voters to keep them informed. Sutton added that kids really don't care if their facilities are new.

“I think they really care that the bathrooms are working in the present schools,” she said.

If a SPLOST tax is recommended by the board and approved by the voters, the system has a list of 23 projects that it would fund.

Included in the spending plan are a new elementary school in the southern part of the county, a new elementary school in the western part of the county and a new high school.