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Cottrell Elementary Principal Stacie Gerrells celebrates next to Superintendent Rob Brown and other officials after cutting the ceremonial red ribbon to mark the grand opening of the new school.
Excited teachers, school staff, elected officials and project managers gathered Monday morning on Pinetree Way to witness the official ribbon cutting for the brand new Cottrell Elementary School. The new $21.6 million dollar facility is set to open its doors to students on August 1.
“This day has taken forever, but I’m excited to see all the people in this room. I’m excited to see the partners in this room. And I’m most excited that I will see children in this room next week,” Lumpkin County Schools Superintendent Dr. Rob Brown said.
A total of six different speakers offered their remarks on the highly anticipated project during a presentation that began shortly after 10:00 a.m.
State Rep. and Business Director for Carroll Daniel Construction Chris Erwin was the first to offer his praise of the new facility, hailing it as the most beautiful school he had seen and congratulating the school administrators for a job well done.
Doug Breaux, an architect from Breaux & Associates, was the next to speak.
“The first thing I want to do is I want to thank the administration of Lumpkin County for having the trust and the confidence in us, and letting us be a part of this project,” Breaux said to kick off his remarks.
Breaux proceeded to introduce other members of his company’s staff, including Lead Designer Jessica Winstead and Project Manager Jo Ann Johnson.
“Many people in our office worked on [Cottrell Elementary], but these two were instrumental in getting this done. And talking about architects, I want to mention Dr. Rob Brown, who is an architect … in his mind,” Breaux joked as the crowd howled in laughter.
Breaux said Brown gave his staff magazines with “little sticky notes pointing to things he liked and things he didn’t like” during the development of the project.
Breaux also offered a special thanks to Lumpkin Elementary School Principal Stacie Gerrells before turning over the microphone to Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chris Dockery.
SLIDE READY
Dockery also began his remarks by poking fun at Brown and the much talked about indoor slide in the library.
“When I came in, I pointed out the slide and said ‘I really like that slide.’ And [Brown] looked at me up and down and he said ‘It’s been weight-tested, if you want to go down it.’ I said, ‘Does that mean you’ve been down it?’”
Dockery proceeded to thank the rest of the Board of Commissioners in attendance.
“I will say, I was just writing some notes down before I got here,” Dockery continued. “And an investment in education is an investment in the future of Lumpkin County. I firmly believe that.”
Dockery also thanked the Board of Education for their vision and foresight.
“Not only did you plan for today, but you planned for the future, and that’s so important,” he said.
Dockery thanked Brown for his input, not only on Cottrell Elementary but also on the County’s new Rec Center, currently under construction on the Pinetree Way property.
“Everyone knows that we’ve got our Rec Center going up next door. New basketball courts, swimming pool, lazy river, pickleball courts: things that improve the quality of life for Lumpkin County are equally important with education. We think this is a win-win,” Dockery said, noting that the two buildings serve the same people and have been designed to compliment each other aesthetically.
Dockery said that having Chief Operations Officer Greg Trammell oversee both projects helped add to that continuity.
“We were able to collaborate, the County and the school system, to create some efficiencies and reduce some redundancies to be able to bring the most to the community for the least amount of money, and Greg was instrumental in that,” Dockery stated before inviting Gerrells to the podium.
PROUD PRINCIPAL
“I’m honored to stand before you today and celebrate the opening of this beautiful school,” Gerrells began. “It is with immense joy and pride that I welcome you all to Cottrell Elementary.”
Gerrells thanked everyone who came together to make the project a reality, including her Assistant Principal Cindy Hunsinger and the rest of her staff from Lumpkin Elementary.
“You tirelessly pour your hearts and souls into our students. Thank you for your passion, expertise and unwavering belief in the potential of every child. This school stands for a testament of your tireless efforts and the impact you all have for generations to come. You’re so deserving of this building, and I can’t wait to see all that we accomplish,” she said.
Gerrells indicated that the ribbon cutting ceremony would serve as a symbol of the promise that Cottrell Elementary represents.
“Let it remind us all of the transformative power of education, the importance of training young minds and the balanced potential within each child … With hearts full of gratitude and excitement, let us embark on this new chapter together, celebrating the opening of our remarkable elementary school and the countless opportunities it will provide for generations to come,” she continued.
Gerrells said she is honored to serve as the new school’s very first principal.
‘NO APOLOGIES’
After Gerrells finished her remarks, Dr. Brown stepped to the stage and recounted a brief history of the project.
“I’m beginning my eighth year with Lumpkin County. One of the first meetings we had we talked about facility needs. It was discussed that we needed a replacement for Lumpkin County Elementary School. It was a great design in the mid-60s, and a facility that served students in Lumpkin County for 56 years,” Brown began.
He said the School Board immediately began grappling with the issues of money and timing associated with a project of that size and scope. Then the pandemic struck.
“And then we entered into … the COVID time, and we faced an uncertain market. We didn’t know what was going to happen,” Brown recalled.
Brown said that the Board fortunately “had the vision, planning, forethought and, ultimately, the courage” to pull the trigger on the construction project, rather than kicking the can further down the road.
As a result of their decisive action, Brown contends that the total cost of the project was 15 to 17 million dollars less than it would have been if had been delayed until rampant inflation hit the U.S. economy post-COVID.
Brown said the Board’s action is “the reason we’re in this building at such a low cost. And I would challenge you to look around this building … and tell me what looks low cost. We make no apologies for building a beautiful, nice school. And I’m so proud that we were able to do it for pennies on the dollar compared to what things are costing today.”
Brown thanked everyone else who contributed to the success of the project, including Mike and Lynn Cottrell, the City of Dahlonega, the County Board of Commissioners and Senator Steve Gooch. But he took a moment to lavish additional praise on Greg Trammell, naming him the “MVP” of the effort.
“Greg Trammell is the most valuable individual for this project and this school system,” Brown said unequivocally.
‘FOR THE KIDS’
After Brown finished, Lumpkin County School Board Chairman Bobby Self came forward to close out the presentation.
“When I stood by the door as everybody came in, the first thing I heard was ‘Wow!’ That’s my thought, too. I’m speechless.” Self stated
Self went on to give special thanks to his fellow School Board members.
"They worked selflessly, and they worked for the kids. And that’s what makes this a great, great Board … I’m so proud. I’m pretty sure this is probably the prettiest school in the state of Georgia,” Self concluded.
Brown returned to the podium to offer a closing prayer. Afterwards, the assembled dignitaries gathered to cut the giant red ribbon, signifying that the school is ready to welcome students on opening day.