Tuscaloosa County Board declares Hillcrest High power incident an emergency and approves engineering contract

The Tuscaloosa County Board of Education on Dec. 9 declared a power incident at Hillcrest High School an emergency and approved a contract with Robbins Engineering to develop remediation plans and manage contractors, the board’s minutes show.

The Superintendent recommended the emergency declaration and contracting arrangement; Mr. Randy Smalley moved to approve and Mr. Lance Bailey seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The minutes state the action is to proceed "per state requirements." The board did not provide a timeline for work or a contract dollar amount in the minutes.

Board President Joey Hocutt opened the meeting and the item carried on a unanimous vote from the six members present. The minutes identify no objections or conditions attached to the approval. Robbins Engineering is expected to develop the plans and manage contractors to correct the problems identified after the power incident.

The board’s action is recorded as an administrative emergency declaration with a contract award to Robbins Engineering; the minutes say the declaration and contract are intended to meet state requirements for addressing the incident. The record does not include a projected completion date or a cost estimate for the work.

Next steps: the board authorized the contract; according to the minutes the engineering firm will proceed with planning and contractor management. Further details, including the contract amount and a schedule for repairs, were not specified in the meeting record.