Roy Exum
At a recent meeting of the Hamilton County School Board I asked how many projects were currently under construction and was told, “None.” Fearing that I had been misunderstood, I rephrased my question. “I am sorry … I meant to say how many new schools or major renovations are currently underway, and when are they scheduled to be completed?”
“None … we don’t have any money,” said Jill Levine, Hamilton County’s Chief Academic Officer.
I told her that was totally ridiculous, with a list of urgent repairs now totaling $200 million and some of our aging buildings so bad they are beyond repair. “We need millions of dollars right now,” I pressed and Jill told me I sounded like a Democrat. Justin Robertson, standing nearby, quipped that by acting as if there was no serious crisis, I should tell Levine she sounded like a Republican.
The stark truth all of us can see is that by doing nothing about our public schools for so long, we have actually done something even bigger. One of life’s greatest truths is, “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” and, brother, we have just excelled at failure. Our schools are so dilapidated right now it is to the point the fire marshal and the health department could close a number of them. And we have done “zero” to prevent it.
At a meeting of the school board’s facilities committee tomorrow, a priority list begs for Harrison Elementary to get $35 million, Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts to get $64 million and East Hamilton Middle to get $45.1 million. Two elementary schools – Snow Hill and Spring Creek --desperately need $7 million each in renovations and $6 million to reopen Howard Middle is a genuine must.
But the biggest problem is that Hamilton County has “Zero” in current construction. We should have had a steady flow of projects from one year to the next. No $400 million company in America would dare neglect its facilities the way Hamilton County has done and now comes time to pay the fiddler. “We have no money.” So please … how do we fix this?
Before you call your county commissioner for accountability, look at this list from Nashville. Two hours north of us today there are 10 major projects coming out of the ground at a cost of $182.36 million. This is right now. Today. And pox on us for not following the same path that school districts across American carefully “plan” every year. Each project ends with the projected completion date:
CANE RIDGE AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – This is a brand new elementary school planned for a capacity of 800 students. The school is being constructed on a site in the Cane Ridge area that is yet to be determined. This school will be designed to achieve LEED silver accreditation once completed. New construction, 800 students, $19 million, July 2018
CRIEVE HALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – This project will include an addition for 8 classrooms. The project will also feature construction of a new library. The cafeteria will be expanded. Other support functions will also be added to the building. $5.5 million, November 2017
EAST NASHVILLE MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL -- This project will add new bleachers to the football/track facility. A new building will also be constructed with concession stand, press-box, restrooms, and ticket booth. A PA system and scoreboard will also be added. The final component of this project is sitework including fencing, sidewalks, and ramps. $2.75 million, April 2017
GLENCLIFF HIGH SCHOOL -- This project consists of the replacement of the existing track and construction of a new 400-meter track. The concession stand and restroom building will also be torn down and constructed a new. The new building will also include a ticket booth and alumni room. The final component to this project is sitework including fencing, sidewalks, stairs, and ramps. $2.2 million, July 2017.
HUME-FOGG MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL -- This is a complete facility renovation of the existing school. The new design will be in keeping with the design guidelines of the Downtown Historic Commission. The existing hardwood floors and plaster ceilings will be kept intact as much as possible in the new design. Where original windows remain, they will be replaced with new energy efficient windows that are in keeping with the original design aesthetic. This project as includes new lighting, technology infrastructure and new electrical, plumbing and HVAC. $23 million, August 2017.
MARTIN LUTHER KING MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL -- This addition is a 3-story building planned on the South side of the existing school. The first floor will house an administrative office and new library. The second and third floors will include 5 classrooms each along with additional support spaces. Once the addition is constructed, the old library will be renovated and converted into additional classroom space. This project is the first of two planned phases of expansion for this school. $6.9 million, May 2017.
NORMAN BINKLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- This project features an addition for 12 additional classrooms for grade level classes. The addition also includes 2 music rooms. Finally, the addition includes a new cafeteria and kitchen. The old kitchen and cafeteria spaces are also being renovated in classroom space once the new kitchen is opened. $7.1 Million, July 2017
OVERTON HIGH SCHOOL -- This project is a complete facility renovation and classroom addition. The building will be modernized and receive new windows, HVAC system, and lighting. The cafeteria will be expanded along with the library and administrative areas. The construction will be phased. $30 million, June 2018
PENNINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- This is a classroom addition to the existing school building. The new space will allow for the portables on site to be removed and move all the classes into the building. The addition will also include additional bathrooms and other support spaces. $4 million, July 2018.
ROSEBANK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- This project is a complete facility renovation. The building will be modernized and receive new windows, HVAC system, and lighting. The cafeteria will be expanded along with the kitchen. The library will be expanded and modernized, as well. $6 million, January 2018.
TUSCULUM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL -- The original Tusculum Elementary school building which was built in 1960 will be torn down to make way for a new school building built in its place. The existing gym will remain, but the rest of the building will be removed. The new school built on the site will be sized for 800 students. $17.3 Million, August 2017.
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ONE LAST THING – The projected cost for a new Harrison Elementary is $34 million. Go back to the list and in Nashville they are building a brand new Cane Ridge Elementary for $18 million. The cost of a new Tusculum Elementary is $17.3 million. How come schools in Chattanooga cost twice what schools in Nashville do? And a $64 million price tag for Chattanooga School for Liberal Arts? “If you fail to plan you plan to fail.”
royexum@aol.com