The Brookhaven School District is planning a 36-by-44 expansion to the football field house. The district is accepting bids for the project, but architect Steve Cox told school board members this week that it will likely cost more than previously thought.

“The bid date will be March 24 at 2 p.m.,”  Cox said. “It’s a 36-by-44 foot addition on the corner of the building. The structure is a pre-engineered metal building structure. It’s actually a little trickier of a project than I thought it would be, but I’ve got the plans and specifications for review. If I need to make any modifications before we start issuing plans, I can do that. I included paving, moving the fence and relocating the gate. It’s a straightforward project.

“This is a metal building. Most metal buildings don’t have a hip roof. They have a gable, and this building has a hip roof. We’re tying into the corner and tying into the hip roof of a metal building, so that’s a little trickier. But we’re ready to go,”  he said.

Board member Erin Smith asked if the roof was the reason the project might cost more than previously thought.

“Well that’s part of it,”  Cox said. “It’s smaller, so the economy of scale of anything that we’re doing because of the relative size of the project. I’ve already talked to one public contractor, and I know that they’ll be bidding on the project. Part of my job is to drum up — even though I like this local contractor and hope that he does the job, I’m going to drum up some competition for him. Because it’s important the we have plenty of people bidding on the project.”

Cox said there might be fewer bids because of the small size of the project, but it’s difficult to predict.

In other business at this week’s school board meeting:

• Mamie Martin Elementary’s fundraiser for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society exceeded the goal of $600. It raised $2,006.

“I would like to speak to the persistence of my kindergartner every night bringing that little box saying, ‘Momma we gotta put some in there.’ Every night he would ask for that,”  Smith said.

“Our kids have a giving heart,”  BSD Superintendent Ben Cox said.

• Cox spoke in recognition of School Board Member Appreciation Month.

“Since I’ve been here, you have shown that you know how to be a leader in this school district,”  Cox said. “And that’s so very important. I’ve told y’all over and over and over, the things that I’ve seen just recently where you’ve selected a superintendent is the most professional process that I’ve seen in a long time.”

• Fundraisers for the student council, varsity cheerleaders, Softball Booster Club, band and automotive class were approved.

• Donations to Mamie Martin Elementary from Mt. Wade Mission Baptist Church Senior Men’s Mission in the amount of $1,300 and from Mamie Martin PTA in the amount of $6,700 were accepted.

• Donations to BSD Athletics from the Tennis Booster Club in the amount of $886.20 and the Golf Booster Club in the amount of $1,007.40 were accepted.

• The board approved to spend no more than $20,000 to purchase vehicles for the Transportation Department from an upcoming auction.