BY STEPHEN H. COWLES/CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Playback58@gmail.com

ISLE OF WIGHT— The Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors have transferred $7.5 million in state loans to the school district for building the new $27.3 million middle school in Windsor.

The school district will not pay any interest on the loan, Board Chairman Al Casteen said during Thursday’s meeting.

Construction on the Georgie Tyler Middle School is expected to begin next school year.

In related matters, supervisors discussed borrowing money to create a vacuum sewer system for the new school. Eddie Wrightson, director of the public utilities for the county, said the sewer system does not have the capacity.

Casteen said the school cannot be built attached to the current sewage system.

“It won’t support it,” he said.

Windsor District Supervisor Dee Dee Darden said the board hopes money will be found through savings in construction bids to take care of the issue. If not, the county will make up the difference.

In other business:

• Darden attended a regional transportation meeting. She had called the Route 460 expansion project the red-headed stepchild of Hampton Roads. However, Darden said she had been told at the meeting that plans for the highway’s improvements are “under way.”

• Darden questioned the progress on improving some county roads, such as Poorhouse Road. She was reassured that repaving would be done before summer’s end. This was supposed to be done by the end of 2011, but weather interfered.

• Parks and Recreation Director Mark Furlough asked for business sponsorship for this year’s county fair. Those interested can visit www.thefairiscoming.com.