Blue Ridge security project is expected to begin this year

The landscape at Blue Ridge Elementary School soon will change when new fencing is erected on the property.

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"I hope to have it started this year," said Principal Jeff Collman.

The school council made a recommendation last year to improve security so that pupils could move freely on the campus during a soft lockdown.

During emergencies, school officials often initiate soft lockdowns to limit pupils' movements on campus.

However, the Columbia County school board rejected a plan to build enclosed hallways to connect the school's gymnasium and its fifth-grade wing to the main building because of costs. The price tag was estimated at $300,000.

The revised project, which will cost about $25,000, includes wrought iron fencing, gates and brick columns.

"We'd have gates that could only be opened from the inside," Collman said.

The fences will be erected between the gymnasium and the main building, between the fifth-grade wing and the main building and between the cafeteria and the main building.

"It's just for the children's safety," said Collman. "We have to leave the doors open for them to freely move back and forth."

Collman said the project will be financed by the principal's fund, the Parent-Teacher Organization and grants.