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Morgan County Board of Education hears progress updates on school construction and capital projects
Summary
At the March 12 work session the superintendent and facilities staff told the board several high school construction projects are on schedule and on budget, cited weather as the remaining delay factor, noted a recent Brewer Baseball Field ribbon-cutting and placed HVAC, paving and textbook items on the evening agenda.
Mr. Elliot, the district facilities presenter, told the Morgan County Board of Education at its March 12 work session that multiple new-construction projects — including Chrysler High School, Brewer High School and two other high-school sites reported in the transcript — are progressing and remain on budget. He said Chrysler High School is projected to be substantially complete around April 25, with turf finished and final concrete and the press box and bleacher installations pending good weather.
Mr. Elliot said Brewer High School’s athletic complex is on schedule for a June completion. He told the board the baseball facilities were occupied beginning March 2, that softball turf is complete and that track and soccer work and paving are ongoing. During his walkthrough of aerial photos and interior pictures he noted the principal’s choice of infield color and remaining interior finishing in restroom and locker-room areas.
On another high-school site (named in the transcript as “Fal High School”), Mr. Elliot reported drainage work (described as 'triple pipe') is complete, concession and locker-room block work is under way, and turf installation is expected around May 1. He said the project includes adding an entry/exit drive and additional parking to improve traffic flow and site safety.
Board members asked whether the district could permit student use of completed fields before bleachers and the press box were installed. Mr. Elliot said any interim use would require state approval and that the bleachers and press box are tied to that authorization.
Superintendent (referred to in the transcript as Miss Turnime) summarized capital-outlay planning and other items appearing on the evening agenda. She said the district maintains a required five-year capital plan for the state and that grant-writing reduced pressure on the general fund for several phases of the Brewer project. She reported a packed ribbon-cutting at the Brewer Baseball Field and thanked staff and partners for coordinating the event.
The superintendent said agenda items for consideration included HVAC upgrades for Brewer High School and a deferred-maintenance HVAC project for Danville High School, with drawings under review and plans to rebid an indoor facility in April. She also listed paving work for Lacy Springs (bus parking) and Eva School, and noted West Morgan’s baseball/softball work funded from ENT (deferred-maintenance) funds. The district intends to sequence projects to avoid conflicts with athletic seasons.
She described an effort to obtain Clark Drive property from a municipality so the district can close the middle of a future elementary campus for safety; that site-transfer discussion will continue with the local town council. The superintendent also said the district piloted a weapon-detection screening system at several high schools and found the approach to be less disruptive than an 'airport-style' system.
The district reported a $3,500 gift from the Tennessee Valley Authority to buy a 3D printer for the Rural Development Park (RDP) machine shop, and said the Gene Hos Foundation and Calhoun are partnering on classroom naming, signage and possible equipment donations for two RDP classrooms. The superintendent said the math textbook package 'Envision'—the remaining material pending vetting for literacy and numeracy requirements—is on the agenda for board consideration.
Several board members offered brief remarks praising staff and students, and the board discussed and tentatively scheduled a personnel-only meeting for May 7 at 4:30 p.m. The work session recessed and was set to resume at 5:00 p.m. No formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript portions provided.
The board and staff identified weather, state approvals and equipment deliveries (particularly bleachers and press box components) as the primary constraints on completion dates; the district indicated most capital work is being managed through the state-required capital-outlay process and a mixture of grant and ENT/deferred-maintenance funds.
