The Effingham County Board of Education approved an agreement with the city of Springfield to run a water line down Highway 119.

The line will serve Effingham County High School, Effingham County Middle School and the site of the new Effingham County Middle School.

“Springfield bid the job, and what we would do (is) reimburse them,” Superintendent Randy Shearouse told the board.
The Springfield City Council approved the bid to run the water line at its last council meeting contingent upon approval by the school board. The line will cost $457,663.

The board of education estimates a savings to the school system of $80,100 a year in insurance, wages and fees for the current buildings.

“On a private well, the insurance cost (at ECHS) is $56,000, and if we tie to the city the insurance rates go down to $6,400,” Shearouse said.

The cost to insure the current Effingham County Middle School is $14,600 and the insurance on the new system will be $2,600, according to Shearouse.

He said the value of the new middle school would be approximately the same as ECHS, and would cost about the same to insure.

Shearouse told the board the school system would reimburse Springfield for the water line, and the school system would receive a percentage of the impact fees collected by Springfield from those connecting to the line until it had recovered the cost of the line.

Shearouse also told the board the school would use its current well for irrigation purposes.

He told the board the water line would also save in the cost of constructing the new ECMS. If the school board were to provide water not using a water line to the new middle school, they would have to build a well capable of running a sprinkler system and fire hydrant.

The cost of the well, pump and the tank for the fire system is about $300,000.

Board Chairperson Vera Jones said this appeared to be a good way for the system to save money.

“We are cognizant of what people are paying in taxes and looking for ways to save money,” she said.

Shearouse said the board would make the money back for the line in savings in approximately five years.

Board member Lamar Allen said when looking at the cost of a well for the new middle school the system would save the cost of the line in the first year.

Shearouse said taking the amount of water used at South Effingham High School and applying the Springfield rates, he estimated the cost for water at ECHS to be $273.50 per month.