The new facility spans 122,000 square feet and includes a 120-yard indoor practice field, and is now officially open for student use. Band enrollment has grown from 90 to 150 students, and the building adds a full band suite, auxiliary room, and a dedicated outdoor practice field. Watch the video below to learn about additional upgrades like large ROTC wing, new basketball locker rooms and more Thomas County Centrals new multipurpose building nears completion, set to open in January
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Thomas County Central has been planning and building this facility for more than four years and today, we’re finally seeing the results.
I’m walking through the new indoor practice field and checking on when the rest of the building will officially open.
This is what middle schoolers have been waiting for as they head into high school.
But it’s more than talk now, the first part of this project is finally open.
“We’ve just been watching it be, you know, be constructed piece by piece over the years and to see what it actually looks like when it’s finally done is pretty impressive,” said Regina.
Joe Regina is the band director at TCCHS.
He tells me the new building will have a full band suite… something they’ve needed as the program grew from 90 students to 150 in just seven years.
It means more room for instruments, more room for students, and more room for programs that are expanding fast.
“So we have a main band room and then we have an auxiliary band room and there’s sound paneling and all the things that we need to make sure that the acoustics are right in there and then the secondary room is going to be used for our color guard which are called the dazzlers. It’s got a mirrored wall so they can practice their routines in front of that,” said Regina.
Athletics are a big deal in Thomas County and this indoor field is one of the biggest upgrades.
Coach Justin Rogers says the size alone a 120-yard regulation field will bring something they’ve never had before: consistency.
“It’s definitely one of those things down in South Georgia you know you have so many pop-up showers and everything that comes off the coast especially in the months of July and August you know and then it provides that consistency throughout the year that all our sports can use from football to to soccer of course,” said Rogers.
But besides band and athletics, this building will also include:
A large ROTC wing A gymnastics area New basketball locker rooms A weight room and training room And a dedicated outdoor band practice field
This $25 million project is funded mostly through ESPLOST the one-cent education sales tax, along with district capital funds.
And with 122,000 square feet of turf, training rooms, locker rooms, and fine arts space, it takes A LOT to build a facility this size.
“Anytime you have something that to this level of done right and the pride that’s done in it it gives you a sense of pride and a sense of ownership that you’ve got to live up to that standard,” said Rogers.
Coach Rogers says an open house is coming soon, and the building will be officially open in January.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.