Jun. 27—ROBERDEL — Roberdel Baptist Church has acquired the former Roberdel School, and plan to use the 12-acre property to enhance and grow the church's existing Preschool program.

"Everyday we hear from parents that they're looking for a Christian education for their children and we keep a long waiting list," said Senior Pastor Billy Dennis.

The church acquired the property from Richmond County Schools about 18 months ago. It was most recently used as school surplus storage. The school, built in the 1950s and later turned into a children's center, has not been operational for about 15 years.

"There's still people in their 50s who went to school here," Dennis said.

There are six classrooms in the existing building, with additional office space and rooms for personalized instruction. There will be upgrades to the HVAC, septic system, plumbing and wiring.

"There will be a facelift of everything," said Roberdel Baptist Preschool director Randi Wood, adding that they hope to open the renovated school in August of 2024."We're excited. We've had a lot of support from the Roberdel Community that want to see this vision."

An estimated cost for the total project is $4.5 million.

Dennis said they plan to build a new, four-classroom building in the back of the property that will serve the four-year-olds, as well as adding a few playgrounds around the property. Every classroom will have its own bathroom and door leading to a playground.

Dennis and Wood said they plan to preserve the existing school, and that this facility will help meet increased need of their services. They currently have 165 students enrolled for next year, from Pre-K up to second grade. All older students in their program will remain at their building located at the church in the future.Dennis added that public school teachers recognize the children from their program for how well-advanced they are academically among their peers.

"It will allow us to minister to that many more kids, but will also be beneficial to parents who are working because we can stay open full-time," Wood said.

Wood said that upon receiving a licensure, they expect this new facility will accommodate 150 Pre-K students. They will move from part-time to full-time, an increase from four hours to potentially ten hours a day.

"We wanted to do this for a long time," Wood started, "And this opportunity came up," Dennis finished. They both stated that this ambitious plan is a ministry that will take the same commitment as a church to pour their hears and minds into.