Board approves $400,000 deductive change order for Hopewell, directs staff to compile school-construction cost data

The Bradley County Board of Education on Aug. 14 approved a deductive change order of about $400,000 for the Hopewell school project, heard progress reports on several active construction projects and voted to direct the director of schools to work with architects and staff to compile cost estimates and site assessments for a future elementary school.

The change order was presented as a deduction from Phase 1 work, shifting selected items into Phase 2 rather than eliminating them entirely. “It’s about a $400,000 deductive change order,” Corbett Drew told the board, adding that several items were being de-scoped and deferred to the later phase to better align construction sequencing and budget priorities. The board approved the motion to accept the change order.

The construction update, led by Kyle Corbett and Peter Ludman, covered multiple projects across the county. Corbett said foundations and underground utilities at Hopewell are complete and that the project is “out of the ground,” with parking areas and playgrounds progressing. He reported some unexpected underground conditions early in the work but said those issues had been resolved and the schedule remained on track.

Board members and staff also reviewed other active projects: the Bradley Central baseball field house (foundations in and pre-engineered building erection scheduled), a science-wing expansion at Bradley Central (work paused pending final FEMA paperwork and an archeological survey), the Ocoee and Parkview projects (punch-list and permitting phases) and site planning for a future elementary school on the district’s recently acquired Dry Valley Road property.

On the question of where to locate a new elementary school and when to ask the county for construction funding, the board debated timing and the level of detail needed before formally approaching the county commission. Director of Schools Linda Cash recommended gathering detailed information first. “Let us begin to gather information on...what we have, cost to build, where we’re building, and all the pieces that go into it before we make a recommendation to the county commission,” Cash told the board.

Following that discussion the board approved a motion requesting that Cash work with the district’s architects and staff to assemble site assessments, cost estimates and supporting data and report back at the board’s next meeting in September.

Why it matters: shifting scope between phases affects the district’s capital budget and schedule; the Dry Valley site purchase and the board’s direction to gather pricing and site data are preliminary steps toward asking the county commission for construction funding in the coming years.

What’s next: staff will return with compiled cost assessments, site analysis and recommended next steps in September, after which the board can decide whether and how to formally request county funding.