CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The Horry County School Board will meet Monday evening to talk about how much will be spent to renovate Myrtle Beach Middle School and the proposed upgrades to the North Myrtle Beach soccer field.

During the September board meeting, members continued the debate of how much money to spend on renovating Myrtle Beach Middle School. The proposal for renovations is budgeted at $22.4 million. A plan for the conversion includes a number of upgrades and changes, some of which include:

  • Renovating 52 classrooms
  • Electrical work for Smartboards
  • Replace HVAC that serves 14 classrooms
  • Replace gym floor
  • New carpet

Board members proposed completing the work when the current Myrtle Beach Middle School students are transferred to the newly built school, expected to happen spring 2018. The construction, according to the school district’s plan set out on Oct. 9, includes a four-month construction project, ending in August 2018.

Another issue expected to be discussed during Monday night’s meeting is updates planned for North Myrtle Beach High / Middle School soccer field. The upgrades were previously voted on and approved but the project came in $330,000 over budget, pushing the project close to $1 million.

Director of Facilities, Mark Wolfe, said the increase is due to rising construction costs and a waterline under the current field the district didn’t know was there. The proposal includes upgrading the field area with lights, amenities, and bleachers as well as irrigation, grading and leveling, and new sod.

Wolfe said they would like to have the field done before spring sports begin but said weather and other factors could change the timeline.

Also on the board meeting agenda is a construction project update for Myrtle Beach Middle School and Socastee Middle School from builder First Floor Energy Positive CEO Robbie Ferris. The complete agenda is available on the district’s website.

A facilities committee meeting will take place Monday at 4 p.m. and the school board meeting will follow at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at the district office, located at 335 Four Mile Rd. in Conway.