The Newton County School Board approved a change order for athletic field lighting Tuesday, after forgetting to add the $539,143 needed into the bid for the replacement Newton High School.

The cost will be paid out of capital project funds and the proposal, submitted by the same contractor that is working on the rest of the replacement high school, and was comparable to the cost of lighting at both Alcovy and Eastside High Schools previously.

"The lighting for the football and practice fields at the new Newton High School site did not get included in the original plans. After the bid was awarded, we recognized this and pursued the best possible cost for incorporating this lighting into the project," said Deputy Superintendent for Operations Dennis Carpenter. "Not unlike the other sports lighting in the project, it's being handled through Electrical Contractor Incorporated with Musco providing the lights and poles. By doing this through the existing contract, we continue to have a single source responsibility for warranty purposes. It's difficult trying to compare this lighting with the smaller area lighting being used in other athletic areas, as these lights require fewer light poles with larger light banks which can cover much larger areas - the likes of the football field and practice field."