To date, The Andalusia City School system has spent $1.6 million on its estimated $12 million projects at Andalusia High School, and board members are facing decisions that could add to the costs.

For instance, last night, the board had to decide whether to spend approximately $23,000 to add brick to the new pressbox. But that was small potatoes compared to other decisions that lie ahead.

The general contractor for the project, Wyatt Sasser Construction, needs to know before they begin installing artificial turf on May 2 what kind of scoreboard will be installed, Superintendent Ted Watson told the board Monday.

“On May 2, they’re going to start on the football field, and it will take about 30 days,” he said. “They need to know where to have holes for the scoreboard.”

A scoreboard isn’t approved in the base bid negotiated with the construction company.

“We saved the old scoreboard,” Watson said. “I’ve been told Coca-Cola will provide a new board in exchange for an exclusive for their products being sold in the stadium.”

There has been much talk about a video board being installed in the new facility.

“I’m told with board Coca-Cola would donate is an analog scoreboard on the bottom, but it could be retrofitted to hold a video board,” Watson said.

It is estimated the video board would cost $60,000. But Watson said he and others have looked at a video board installed in Enterprise that cost $110,000 when it was installed.

“If you said, ‘We want it much bigger,’ then we need to plan accordingly.”

Another possible decision: What to do with the awning over what was once seating and soon will be a plaza. The contract price approved includes power washing the awning and repainting it.

“One of the cheapest things we could do would be to cut it down,” Watson said. “It would cost approximately $20,000 to sandblast it and repaint it.”

A third option, to replace it, could cost as much as $84,000.

The board also is looking at another added potential added expense – a wrought iron fence between the stadium and auditorium, estimated at an additional $105,000. The current plan is for a chain link fence.

The board did not make a decision on any of the additions, but may call a special meeting before May 2 to finalize scoreboard plans.

In other business, the board was told a new software program that will be used for online lunchroom payments next year has the capability of collecting other school fees and selling tickets online.

• The system’s bus fleet passed inspection.