MOULTON — Superintendent of Schools Heath Grimes will recommend that Lawrence County spend its interest-free stimulus bond money on projects he said will significantly impact the system.

The projects are at Speake, Moulton Middle and R.A. Hubbard.

If the board goes along with the plan he will outline during Monday’s meeting, Grimes said, the system will address “tons” of issues relating to curriculum and space.

Gov. Bob Riley announced Thursday that Lawrence County got $4.8 million in qualified school construction bond funds.

Recovery Act

The money is part of President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Lawrence County has to repay the money within 15 years.

The two most significant projects on Grimes’ list are at Speake and Moulton Middle.

At Speake, the superintendent wants to construct a building to contain four classrooms, a library, cafeteria and administrative offices.

Because of consolidation, kindergarten through eighth-grade students are attending classes in separate buildings about 200 yards apart.

“To be cost efficient, we have to get the students out of the old building,” Grimes said.

The old building at the front of the school was constructed in the 1930s and houses the library. Grimes wants to remove it.

Grimes said it makes no sense to have those students walking so far to the library, especially when the walk is outside.

“The situation at Speake is our greatest need,” he said.

At Moulton Middle School, Grimes said, constructing a $1.5 million gymnasium for physical education will accomplish two things.

First, it will allow the system to move eighth-grade students from Lawrence County High and eliminate the need for portable units because of overcrowding at the high school.

Space for classes

Secondly, the gym would create space for the physical education classes needed for the 130 eighth-graders moving to the site.

“This is an academic issue,” Grimes said about the Moulton situation.

The third project is at R.A. Hubbard, where Grimes wants to spend $900,000 to enlarge seating capacity in the gymnasium.

This project is part of a court-ordered settlement involving consolidation.

When the board moved Hazlewood students to the school, Grimes said, the need for gym space increased.

The only project stimulus money doesn’t fund is $2.2 million for six classrooms and an administrative building at Hatton High.

Grimes said this proposed project would replace existing space, while the others address academic needs.