Early voting begins Monday, April 20 for several municipal and school elections around Wood County on May 2.

The Alba-Golden school district is asking voters to approve $20.6 million for the construction of a new competition gym and a career and technical education center.

Alba, Hawkins and Winnsboro have municipal elections and Winnsboro ISD has a school board election.

Alba-Golden’s will be held at the school administration office. That will also be the location of early voting for the Alba City Council.

Winnsboro early voting will be held at the Winnsboro Civic Center for the city and the school district. Hawkins will hold early voting at the Hawkins Civic Center.

Also on the ballot will be the Ramey Water Supply Corporation’s second attempt to convert to a special utility district. Voters previously turned down the measure. The ballot will also have the election of seven directors to the new district, with seven candidates.

Early voting will be held Wednesday through Friday, April 22-24 and Monday and Tuesday, April 27-28.

No early voting will be held on Tuesday, April 21, as it is a state holiday.

The Alba election for the city and the school bond will all be on one ballot for city residents. Those living outside the city will have only the bond issue on their ballots.

For the Alba city council, Bob Kraemer is unopposed for Place 2, Dena Johnson and Buddy Park are running for Place 3 and Joyce Margos and Tammy Kirkpatrick are seeking Place 4.

Winnsboro city residents will have city council and school board on one ballot, while those outside the city will have only the board.

Council candidates include Antionette Shepherd, Jenny Angelo-Jongsma, C.J. Thatcher, Carol Sutherland and Stephen Boorman for three seats.

For the school board, Michael Walpole and Brian Busby are seeking Place 1, Jay Murdock and Shavon Duffey for Place 2 and Rhonda Alexander, Cory Thompson and Diane Robinson for Place 3.

The Hawkins election includes Kayla Ross and Susan Hubbard for mayor, Meredith Hancock and Kirk Price for Place 1, James Dacus and Eleta Taylor for Place 2 and the judicially ordered election for Place 5 between Norma Oglesby and Jacque Burns, which was thrown out last year due to voting irregularities.

The new Alba-Golden facilities are planned to be constructed inside the current campus footprint, near County Road 2377, south of the football stadium.

The career and technology center is estimated to cost $8.7 million while the gym’s price is $11.9 million. The two facilities will be voted on together.

According to information provided by the district, the CTE facility will increase available space by 88% to 19,250 square feet.

It includes 3,500 square feet for an agricultural mechanics and metal tech workshop, 3,500 square feet for a construction tech workshop, two large ag classrooms, four regular CTE classrooms, a 2,250 square foot covered work area, tool and materials storage, paint booth, instructor workroom and restrooms.

The new gym will be nearly double the current facility at 21,868 square feet. It will have a regulation court and space for two cross courts for practice, boys and girls varsity and JV or visitor locker rooms, coaches offices and locker rooms, laundry room, training room, storage, expanded foyer, concession and restrooms.

It will improve scheduling for all grades and programs and allows all students and staff to gather in one location. It also addresses ADA accessibility to address safety issues and limitations.

The district has calculated that the property tax impact on an average hike in the district will be $28.42 per month. That does not include those 65 and older whose taxes have been frozen.