MEXICO – The vocational school board will hold a special meeting Wednesday morning to act on taking out a bond anticipation note so that a $4.9 million building and renovation project can get going.

The Region 9 Cooperative board’s Personnel Committee will meet at about the same time to consider what action to take for hiring a new director.

Board Chairman Norman Clanton said Monday afternoon that the bond anticipation note, of about $225,000, will be used to secure architectural designs and to pay for land next to the River Road school needed for the building expansion. About $15,000 is also included in the note to buy a new school bus, if necessary.

The board has not released the cost of buying about an acre of land owned by the Archibald family. Clanton said the board expects to close on the purchase this week, at which time the price will be released.

The bond anticipation note is expected to be paid back within a few months. Clanton said bonds should be released by late April or early May. Planned is a 17,000-square-foot addition and a major renovation to the existing vocational school that will allow two new vocational programs to be offered.

Voters living in the 16-town vocational region approved the renovation/expansion project in January.

The need for action for a director search was prompted by the resignation of Director David Driscoll, who ends his tenure at the end of June after serving for two and a half years.

The board had delayed action on advertising for a new director because of the governor’s proposal to reduce the number of school units from 152 to 26 and the organizational ramifications that may result.

Because major changes may not happen anytime soon, Clanton said the vocational school must have a new director in place.

The Wednesday meeting begins at 9 a.m.