New school to be named Cottrell Elementary

The members of the Lumpkin County Board of Education recently voted to approve a new name for Lumpkin County Elementary School to coincide with the opening of the new facility on Pinetree Way: Cottrell Elementary School at the Cottrell Community Education Complex.
The move came with little advance notice or fanfare during a regularly-scheduled evening school board session.
The Cottrell Elementary School has an approved Guaranteed Maximum Price of $21.6 million and is expected to open its doors to Lumpkin students in August of 2023.
Local residents Lynn and Mike Cottrell donated a reported total of $2.5 million to the elementary school project, according to Brown.
The Cottrells were originally set to make a large donation to a new Lumpkin County aquatic center which would bear their name, when the project had a more ambitious scope and a $18 million price tag.
However those plans were eventually scrapped due to ballooning cost estimates and fears of a long-term tax burden on residents due to the facility’s anticipated payroll.
The Cottrells chose not to participate in the development of the county’s scaled-back recreation center, which has a maximum price  of $12.9 million. This aquatic center will be constructed on the same stretch of land on the end of Pinetree Way.
After updating last week’s online edition of The Nugget to reflect the name announcement, the paper has received strong reactions from the community, with some residents expressing gratitude for the funds donated by the Cottrell family for the project, and many others expressing frustration that the traditional LCES name had been changed.
The elementary school’s new name was announced at the December 12 regular session of the Board of Education, although naming the new school was not among the proposals listed on the agenda that was circulated prior to the session. The board was instead slated to vote on eight different approvals, noted on the agenda that accompanied the meeting as items A though H.
After distributing awards for student and administrative excellence, the board proceeded to conduct its official business for the evening.
“We have some items for approval,” announced Bobby Self, Chairman of the Board.
“Are we good [with] taking all of these together?” Brown asked Self.
“That’ll be good,” Self responded.
Brown proceeded to announce the pending approvals in the order they appeared on the agenda, until he reached what would have been letter H on the list, personnel updates.
Before discussing personnel, Dr. Brown added two new items to the approvals list. The first involved the naming of the new elementary school.
“Recommendation to name the new Lumpkin County Elementary School ‘Cottrell Elementary School at the Cottrell Community Education Complex,’” Brown said.
The board then voted to approve all 10 recommendations together. There was no additional discussion among members of the board about any of the individual items prior to the final vote.
Last week The Nugget reached out to Superintendent Brown for public comment on the board’s rationale for changing the name of the new facility from Lumpkin County Elementary School to Cottrell Elementary School.
“The school system received a substantial monetary commitment from the Cottrell Family for naming the school and site. Our school board felt that the donation was well worth the naming rights as it could help offset some of the potential future tax burden on the citizens in this county,” Brown stated.
He added that the donation ultimately saves taxpayers in the long-run.
“When money comes in from donations or grants, it keeps us from having to ask our taxpayers for more of their money. In addition to the monetary donation, the Cottrell's sold us the new school property at a value much lower than the market would bring to another buyer,” said Brown. “… We appreciate the Cottrell's continued generosity to this community and to the Lumpkin County School System.”