The Decatur County Board of Education has approved the low bid for construction of a new Jones-Wheat Elementary School. During a special called meeting Tuesday afternoon, the board voted unanimously to accept the bid of $12.5 million from Quillian Powell Construction of Valdosta, Ga., the lowest of the nine bids submitted for the project.

The board voted last September to allow Superintendent Dr. Fred Rayfield to begin the process of replacing the school.

Demolition of the existing structure, opened in 1954, will begin soon and plans call for the school to be ready for students, beginning with the 2014 school year. The new school will be located on the same site on Shotwell Street as the existing school. While the new school is under construction, students will be relocated to the old West Bainbridge Middle School for the 2013-14 school year.

The project will be funded from the E-SPLOST one-cent sales tax, a revenue stream separate from the system’s general fund operating budget. E-SPLOST revenue must be spent on capital projects.