School Board Reviews Costly Middle School Renovations

 by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
Renovating the county’s two aging middle schools would cost between $16,500,000 and $17,500,000 each, engineer Tim Little told the Franklin County School Board at the June 13 meeting. In comparison, a new combined middle school would cost between $29,000,000 and $32,000,000, Little said.
Little represents OLG Engineering, Inc., the Tullahoma based firm retained to guide the Capital Building Planning Committee in drawing up plans for renovating the nearly 50-year-old middle schools. Citing the need for improved security, increased classroom space, especially for the Special Education and CDC programs, and expansion and renovation of the locker rooms, Little proposed increasing North Middle School (NMS) by 25,000 square feet and South Middle School (SMS) by 31,000 square feet.
At 98,000 square feet, NMS is already larger than SMS, at 80,000 square feet, as a result of a 1997 addition.
Other pressing needs at the two schools include reroofing both facilities, replacing corroded plumbing, replacing the inefficient HVAC system, making the facilities ADA compliant, upgrading the fire alarm system, installing a fire control sprinkler system, upgrading classrooms, upgrading kitchen facilities and equipment, improving outside lighting, and expanding event parking.
For a new combined middle school, Little proposed a 159,000 square foot facility on a 46-acre site in the vicinity of Franklin County High School on Bypass Road.
The Capital Building Planning Committee recommended the school board host town hall meetings to gather input from the community on the proposals presented by OLG and urged the board not to delay in taking action as the need for renovation at the middle schools was urgent.
Board Chair Kevin Caroland said, “Every day we put this off it costs the tax payer money. We’ve spent a lot on the roofs just in the past couple years.”
Sewanee area school board representative Adam Tucker suggested waiting until school was back in session to hold the town meetings since families were away on vacation.
Director of Schools Amie Lonas set the goal of finishing with the town meetings by the end of September and presenting a proposal to the Franklin County Commission before the end of the year.
Little estimated renovating the schools would take 18 months. Lonas said the students would rotate to portable classrooms during renovation if the school board chose that route.
Asked about the school systems plans for the two facilities if a new middle school was built, Lonas said, “That would be a board decision. We haven’t discussed specifics.”
Revisiting the topic of disposition of the old Franklin County High School property, school board member Christine Hopkins said, “Chances are better than ever the state will proceed with the proposal to turn the site into a technical college.” In July of 2014, the board agreed to wait to see if plans for the technical college materialized and to refrain from disposing of the property for two years. The board would incur no cost in the construction of the technical college except for donating the property. The county has pledged $1,000,000 to the $6,000,000 project. The board approved Hopkins request to delay disposing of the property until July of 2017.
The board reviewed and approved two new policies and seven policy revisions recommended by the Tennessee School Board Association. “The TSBA annually proposes policy additions and revisions based on changes in state law,” Lonas said.
The board postponed voting on the Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems policy, and the Student Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying policy recommended by the TSBA. Lonas will seek advice from school attorney Chuck Cagle on the two policies.
“The unmanned aircraft policy would be difficult to monitor,” Lonas said expressing reservations about the policy.
Tucker took issue with the language of the Student Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying policy. “The language is both over and under inclusive,” Tucker said. “Teachers, coaches, and others discriminate all the time in making decisions with regard to students. The language needs to be cleaned up.”
The school board next meets on Monday, July 11.