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Board approves $300,000 contingency increase for William Blount CTE renovation project
Summary
The board approved a request to add $300,000 to the contingency fund for the William Blount CTE renovation project after district maintenance described unforeseen site and owner-requested changes that consumed most of the prior contingency.
The Blount County Board of Education on a roll-call vote approved a request to increase the contingency for the William Blount CTE renovation project by $300,000.
Maintenance and project staff said the project is transitioning from phase 1 to phase 2 and that change orders and owner requests have reduced the previously authorized contingency to about $44,000. Maintenance director (referred to in the meeting as Mr. Dukes) told the board the $300,000 request is to ensure work can continue through June 30 if additional change orders arise.
Why it matters: The contingency covers unexpected site conditions and owner-requested changes; without added contingency, work could pause or require emergency approvals. Mr. Dukes provided examples of major unplanned or owner-requested items, including a fire lane added behind the CTE area, rerouting of a fire and domestic water line when site utilities were not where plans called for them, power-line reroutes to accommodate furniture and classroom arrangements, extension of a delivery road for the culinary arts area at an instructor's request, and exterior cladding work to improve aesthetics on installed columns.
Financial details cited at the meeting: Mr. Dukes said the board previously authorized $300,000 in contingency earlier in the fiscal year and that $44,000 remained. He said the district will present a report to the county commission documenting expenditures since the prior authorization. He also stated that at fiscal year-end any unused contingency will return to the general fund balance; in his words, "At the end of this fiscal year, any unused amounts will go back into the $1.77 general fund, the fund balance of that." The board discussed value engineering and noted one change produced a $70,000 credit after selecting a different ceiling tile.
Board action: Trustees voted by roll call to approve the additional $300,000 contingency. Board members asked for examples and for transparency on how contingency funds were spent; the maintenance staff committed to reporting expenditures to the commission.
Next steps: Administration will present a detailed accounting to the commission of contingency uses since July and, if needed, request a similar authorization for the next fiscal year.
