Hamilton County School officials said Tuesday they are ready to move forward on $158 million for five major school projects, as well as hiring architects to examine other school building needs.
The full school board is set to vote on the projects on Thursday of next week.
Projects, with the most recent cost estimate, are:
- Convert the first floor of the former BlueCross property on W. Ninth Street into the Gateway Future Ready Center ($15 million)
- Renovate and build an addition for Clifton Hills Elementary ($36 million)
- Renovate and build an addition for Soddy Daisy Middle School ($30 million)
- Consolidate Alpine Crest, Dupont and Rivermont elementary schools into a new 800-student school ($51 million)
- Renovate Brainerd to a 6-12 campus on the current site on North Moore Road by combining Dalewood Middle and Brainerd High ($36 million).
Supt. Justin Robertson said he wants to spend up to $100,000 to hire architects to give assessments on a number of other projects, including Normal Park, the second floor of Gateway, Center for Creative Arts, needed elementary space on Signal Mountain, options for Orchard Knob Middle School, moving Barger School to the Dalewood site, and renovating the existing Cigna building that is across the street from East Brainerd Elementary School.
Dr. Robertson said the plan is to make Gateway a 9-12 Future Ready School similar to schools at Harrison Bay and Sequoyah.
He said one focus, while working with BlueCross, would be for a computer science career pathway at Gateway.
As for other courses, Dr. Robertson said, "I hope businesses will come along and help us build out the program."
A plan to move Center for the Creative Arts to the Gateway site has been abandoned.
On the Clifton Hills project, officials said parents will be asked to determine which of two routes to go. One would be additions at the current school, including a two-story section and a new gym.
Dr. Robertson said keeping students on campus during the construction "would make it very cramped over the 18-month construction period." He said an alternative would be to have a smaller addition at Clifton Hills and to zone some current students to Eastside Elementary, where an addition could be built.
School board member Jill Black said she favors the larger addition at Clifton Hills, but she welcomes input at a community meeting. As for an Eastside addition, she said about 70 percent of the Clifton Hills students walk to school. She said Eastside "is on the other side of the freeway."
Concerning the Soddy Daisy Middle project, board member Steve Slater said he is concerned that the planned reworking of the 1960 school may not be big enough. He said it was built for 654 students and now holds about 500. He said the new design is for 605 students.
Mr. Slater said there will be rapid growth in the Soddy Daisy and Sale Creek areas, and an addition may be needed at some point at Sale Creek.
He said of the current Soddy Daisy Middle plan, "It doesn't make sense to me. Growth is coming up this way."
School board member Ben Connor said he also has concerns about the size of the planned new elementary on Hixson Pike.
He said CCA (the old City High) "needs to be looked at from top to bottom."
Concerning Orchard Knob Middle, Dr. Robertson said it needs a $10 million HVAC system, but the school system wants to be sure the building does not have other major needs before embarking on that expense.
Dr. Robertson said the Barger move would be up to three years away since it would be that long before the Dalewood students would move out.
He said an architect's counsel is needed on whether to build an addition at Thrasher Elementary or to construct a new elementary on Signal Mountain.