Board approves Scotts Hill Elementary enclosure project after design, safety and electrical work discussed

The Henderson County Board of Education approved construction to enclose the exposed walkway between buildings at Scotts Hill Elementary, a capital improvement the district described as a safety and climate-control priority.

Mr. Blair, who presented the project update, said the design—developed with TLM—includes added restrooms so students would not have to walk back through the school, a storage unit to replace a removed gazebo storage area, full ADA access, and heating and cooling. He said the design meets ingress and egress and other security stipulations.

Blair said the work will need to proceed in two phases because electrical components and overhead service currently located in the courtyard must be moved; that requires a new transformer from LES and carries a “substantial lead time.” He described a preferred schedule to perform electrical crossover during spring break, start demolition and construction on May 1, and finish by July 15 so the enclosure is operational by an August 1 start date.

Miss Megan added that the district’s preferred timeline would allow bidding in January–February so contractors could be lined up to start in May. She cautioned that if bids exceed budget estimates the board would need to approve additional funds.

A board member moved to approve the Scotts Hill construction; the hearing proceeded to a roll-call vote. The board recorded seven yes votes; the motion carried.