October 5, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
After months of trying to reach a consensus, the Board of Education is finally ready to make a recommendation to the county commission on a new multi phase school building plan.
During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, the board voted unanimously to seek funding for the construction of a new elementary school for students in pre-kindergarten to 2nd grade to replace Smithville Elementary School.
Smithville Elementary School, originally built in 1958, now is 70,557 square feet in size, and has a current enrollment of 556 students. A year ago a facilities study by the board’s architect, Upland Design Group, concluded that the school, which has mold and other concerns, should be replaced and repurposed for other uses.
The proposed new school, 98,000 square feet, would accommodate 800 students. The total estimated project cost is $19,464,500.
Plans are to build the new school (pre-k to 2nd grade) adjacent to Northside Elementary School (grades 2-5) on the same property if it is feasible. According to the architect’s facilities study, 15-20 acres would be needed for the project. The Tennessee Department of Transportation also requires a traffic study be done anytime a new school is built near a state highway. Findings of that study as it relates to increased traffic flow and congestion will also be a consideration.
If the architect concludes that more land is needed to make the Northside site acceptable for a new school, the board is expected to try purchasing property from an adjoining landowner.
Members of the Board said having both Northside and the new elementary school on the same property would make it easier for students to transition from one to the other and it would free up space at Northside.
Northside Elementary was built for grades 3-5 but in recent years has had to accommodate three second grade classes due to overcrowding at Smithville Elementary, which is a pre-K to 2nd grade school. With a new elementary school, all second graders would again be under one roof.
The plan will soon be presented to the county commission which will have to approve it and authorize funding to pay for it over a period of years through a note or bond issue. Should it be approved, the school board wants a plan in place, working with the county commission, to move toward building a new high school after the new elementary school is completed and paid for hopefully within 10 years. In fact, the school board wants the blessing of the county commission now to purchase property for a new high school once a suitable location is found so it will be available when the time comes to build.
“We are trying to do something on a shorter term payout, something that can be paid off in a 10 year period. During that 10 years we have a lot of bonds rolling off that will be maturing and paid off so it will free up some money for what we hope will be a multi-phase plan,” said Board Chairman W.J. (Dub) Evins, III.
The board had previously considered building one or more pre-K through 5th grade or pre-k to 8th grade schools but could not reach a consensus. Although it was not the sole reason for the board’s choice not to go forward with one of those options, either plan would have required zoning meaning students would have had to attend the elementary school within the zone where they reside. Those options were also more costly and would have perhaps delayed plans for a new high school by 20 to 30 years, making the already 55 year old DCHS school building (core facility), 75 to 85 years old before replacement.
The school board had paid Upland Design just for the facilities study and will now have to enter into a separate contract with the architect firm going forward during the construction phase of the project, should the county commission fund it.
In other business, Director Patrick Cripps updated the school board on personnel moves. Julie Vincent, Principal at Smithville Elementary School has resigned and Katie Haggard and Sara Halliburton have been granted a leave of absence as requested.