The school system is planning nearly $825,000 in improvements to the schools, with work to start before the end of 2002-03, said Curtis Bibb, assistant superintendent for administrative services.

Work will continue over the summer and until the first day of school on Aug. 8.

"Our children will not be going into a subpar building or a building showing its age," Bibb said. "We plan on making them showcase schools. ... The children won't be shorted by the buildings having aesthetic beauty. We will have the schools looking very, very good."

The school system plans to open two new schools in 2003-04, New Holland Elementary on Jesse Jewell Parkway at Barn Street and Gainesville Elementary on McEver Extension at Spring Road.

In addition, parents will be able to choose where to send their child. Each elementary school will focus on an area of interest in presenting state-mandated curriculum.

In all the newness, the system doesn't want Enota and Fair Street standing like relics, despite their age. Enota opened in 1953, and Fair Street has roots as a blacks-only school dating to 1938.

Bibb said plans call for workers to replace carpeting in classrooms with tile and in the gyms with a rubberized surface. The system also plans to renovate hallways and bathrooms.

Another big plus will be installing heating/air conditioning systems in gyms at each school. All five elementary schools will have a controlled climate, Bibb said.

"We need to make the schools more community-friendly," he said.

Another boon for the city is the financing source.

The state Department of Education has approved interest-free loans of $366,704 for Fair Street and $462,653 for Enota.

The city must acquire financing through a bond issue, and banks and other lending institutions can receive a tax credit as an incentive to hold the bonds, said James Branson, assistant to the superintendent.

Terms of the loans will be worked out later, but Branson estimates the city will have to pay $50,000 to $60,000 per year for about 14 years.

To qualify, the city had to show it could match funding by 10 percent through donations of money and services, Bibb said.

The schools' PTAs and Brenau University have said they would help with volunteers.

These workers can help with a variety of tasks, from moving supplies to "getting the old carpet out and disposed of," Bibb said.

Through volunteer labor and no interest charges, the city could end up saving $150,000 to $200,000 overall, Branson said.

Christine Brosky, the city's grants coordinator, said Gainesville had to compete for the money, as the state had $14.8 million in interest-free money from the federal government to disburse.

School systems had some criteria to get their foot in the door. Gainesville qualified based on having at least 35 percent of its students at the schools eligible for the free and reduced-price lunch program.

Brosky said she doesn't know how many districts vied for the money, but "I'm sure the money went pretty fast."