District gives update on long-awaited Pope School

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — There is an update on the new Pope School for the Jackson-Madison County School System.

Anyone who has lived in Madison County for over the last decade or so is very familiar about the conversation about a need for a new school in the northwest corner of the county.

The district says there was overcrowding in other schools in that area, which lead to the need of another school in that part of the county.

“It’ll give students and our employees that work there adequate space and the updates they need,” said Greg Hammond, the Chief of Public Information for the school system.

Last summer, the school system conducted a groundbreaking at the site where Pope will be built after the county voted unanimously to fund the project almost a year ago.

The school system has also created a committee for the project that meets bimonthly with Orcutt Winslow and Hinson Construction Company.

“They’ve visited schools in other counties that have a similar design just to walk those spaces and make sure the committee had a clear vision on the school that we want to build,” Hammond said.

Recently, the school system have received a zoning approval from the City of Jackson’s Zoning Appeals Board. They have also completed a traffic study. They’re currently in talks with Jackson Energy Authority to discuss the utility infrastructure for the campus.

“Signage will be placed on the new Pope site soon, and it will remain there until the project is complete,” Hammond said.

The bi-monthly board meetings with Orcutt Winslow and Hinson Construction Company are discussed at the board work sessions.

These work sessions are open to the public.

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