By DAWN HANKINS - dhankins@t-g.com
Community High School has waited over a decade for its second educational wing-one which would finally finish its late 1990s building program.
The school board was informed last Tuesday that it will likely be close to the start of the 2023 school year before it is now completed.
Architect John Davis, who has overseen school building projects now for about 30 years, made a presentation to the school board about the Community educational wing. While he would like to start moving dirt tomorrow, Davis said the federal government is temporarily holding up the progress.
This is because the school system wants to use federal ESSER funds to build this educational wing. So because of the red tape, the board must sit and wait on approval to do so.
The other alternative is to come up with several million within county funds for the project.
So the board has opted to use the ESSER funds. This goes back to the bigger picture of why the addition has not been built to date—finances.
School board members have previously stated that the building program dollars just ran out last time. ESSER funds are those the school system received from the federal government due to the COVID-19 impact.
While the wait is undetermined, board members realize it is potentially still worth the wait. The board is being cautious not to start a new program before the use of the funds is officially approved by the state and federal officials. No contracts can be official, until the approval for those funds is made.
School board member Dan Reed, who represents the Unionville district, said Monday, “I feel like we have made tremendous progress in the last few weeks toward making this wing a reality. Right now, all we can do is wait on ESSER approval and go from there.”
Reed said the board has positioned itself so that when that approval comes in, work with the addition can move forward. As of Monday morning, there has been no official words to use the ESSER funds for this project.
Reed added, “Community High School deserves to have their school finished and I believe we will make it happen,” said Reed. “We are not building a new school in Unionville, we are only finishing the one we have.”
Architect John Davis of Davis Stokes Collaborative told the board at its recent meeting that he’s met with Community High Principal Robert Ralston and Director of Schools Tammy Garrett. He explained to the school board that the high school building is a little intimidating, because it is so lengthy.
“There’s a lot of yard, a lot of sky,” said Davis.
There are over 700 students alone in the building at the present time. This means with current growth numbers now projected through the 2020 Census, the building could be overcrowded in just a few years.
What Davis means by a lot of sky is there’s still a lot to examine on the property from his end of the project.
Davis said preliminary geotech reports have been done. One of those items which he brought to the board’s attention were potential sink holes—a depression in the ground that has no natural external surface drainage. Some are potentially located, he said, at the far west end of the educational wing.
Though small, there is some precaution which must be taken. A land survey will be needed, Davis explained. The Tennessee Fire Marshal will be involved in a preliminary meeting, Davis further stated.
“We’ve got enough information . . . they’re always very intersted in size of structure.”
Davis also told the board that the current high school structure was designed under the last of the 1999 standard building codes buildings.
“Essentially, we’re dealing with a 23-year-old building—in terms of codes.”
He said the codes have changed quite a bit, since then. Davis, who recently completed an additional wing at Learning Way, said that building was under the same standard code as Community.
The architect said there were no problems, structurally, with getting that wing completed. He also said the site is on a sewer system already on site.
“We’ve just got to make sure it’s the same operator . . . with Tennessee Wastewater.”
Davis said now that the school system is dealing with federal funds, that has to play into the overall project.
“Those are things we have to deal with, as we move forward.”
The same structural engineer used in the past, though he now has his own company, is the same one which will be involved in new wing, Davis said.
As far as the structure, Davis said the plan is to get the wing as close in physical appearance as the one on the other end of building.
The left wing (from Unionville-Deason Road perspective) will be slightly shorter than the original wing, but will still include a total of 12 regular size classrooms—800 square foot standard, according to the architect.
Davis said plans are to house two classes of art on the northern side (for light purposes.) Health science classrooms and potentially criminal justice classes (a part of Career and Technical Education or CTE) are also planned at Community. This may develop into a suite, along with the art classrooms, he told board members. And for the first time in Bedford County, Davis said there will be an ROTC program located in that wing.
“This building was planned for this addition years ago, so one of the sprinkler zones was designed with this in mind,” said Davis. “When it is completed, there will be a little difference from one end of the building to the other, but not much.”
Davis then gave the board the news that 2023 is going to be time frame for completion.
“Once I started calling civil engineers . . . everybody is very busy right now.”
He said he’s requested proposals from engineers to try to move the project along. He said his goal as architect will be to see that the wing is completed by summer of 2023.
Davis was the original architect when the new Community High School was built. The county has since made some changes, hiring another Nashville firm to oversee all county building projects, including those from school system. The school system requested Davis be allowed to finish what he started on the Community project.
So, at least for a while, the Community wing will be Davis’ last local school building design.
Schools director Garrett said following Davis’ presentation, “We want to be able to start, as soon as we get ESSER approval. As soon as we get that email, I’ll call Mr. Davis and we will be able to roll.”
Garrett said she and Robert Daniel, County financial director, believe it is best for the board to wait until the federal government gives its approval.
Garrett said the board is looking at $6 million, so she does not want to start any construction until the government gives the nod to do so.
Board member Glenn Forsee asked Davis about whether contracts have been signed. Garrett said the financial director is reviewing some numbers.
“On the ESSER funds, we really can’t commit to anything, until we get it approved,” said Daniel. “We’ve talked to John about this . . . basically we’re just awaiting approval and we’re ready to go.”
Forsee added, “I’d like to have a copy [of the contract] before we’re done.”
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Community High wing still in transition - Shelbyville Times-Gazette
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