Board OKs committee oversight of new school construction; advisory committee includes county mayor

By Matthew Stewart
of The Daily Times Staff

The Blount County Board of Education approved committees to start the process of building a new elementary school on Burnett Station Road at Monday's board meeting.

Assistant County Mayor Dave Bennett addressed school board members about an approved Blount County Commission resolution. The resolution, which required the approval of the school board, placed the bidding process and construction of the new elementary school under the oversight of the County Mayor's Office in conjunction with Blount County Director of Schools Alvin Hord.

According to the resolution, once the school was completed it would be turned over to the school board. A work group composed of Hord, Blount County Mayor Jerry Cunningham, County Commissioner Chairman Robert Ramsey and school board Chairman Don McNelly would oversee the design and construction of the new school.

But Bennett instead proposed a different committee composed of the county mayor, County Commission chairman, director of schools and the entire school board.

Board member John Davis thanked Bennett for attending the board meeting. "I appreciate the spirit of compromise," said Davis.

"The mayor's office was not trying to take control," said Bennett. The mayor's office is "not going to take any duties away from (the school board)," he said. "That was never the intent.

"We want to build what children need in this community," said Bennett. "Ultimately you have to decide your decisions."

The committee may offer input into the decision and suggest a direction for the new school, said board member Mike Treadway. However, "decisions made there have to come back to us," he said.

"The school board's responsible for the final decisions. By law, we can't give authority to anybody else. We were elected to take care of these matters."

Board member Booty Miller read several excerpts from a letter he wrote to Hord about the resolution. Miller cited several court decisions documenting the authority of school boards in school matters.

Bennett felt he was being put in an adversarial position, he said. County officials have spent more money constructing schools recently than they should have, said Bennett. The mayor's office was just looking for a system that works, he said.

Committee approved

Davis later made a motion to form a committee composed of the people Bennett suggested to choose the architects, general contractor and decide the process for the new elementary school. The committee would be open to any or all board members interested in serving on it, said Davis.

Treadway then amended the motion so the committee -- which will act in an advisory capacity -- would be formed after the board selected an architect.

The amendment and the original motion passed.

"I personally appreciate this," said board member Chris Cantrell. "It takes the burden off of us. I really want to cooperate and see the County Commission and (school) board work together under the direction of the mayor's office."

All committee meetings will be open to the public.

McNelly also appointed a committee to select the school colors and mascot for the Burnett Station Road elementary school.

School board members also agreed to review the 13 portfolios submitted by architectural firms interested in designing the new school. Board members will select their short-list of architects and set interviews at next month's board meeting.

Mayor Cunningham looks forward to working with the school board, he said in an interview Tuesday. Cunningham thinks the committee process will create a better product and instill more confidence in the taxpayers who have an interest in the new school.

There will be "a different concept of the way we build things with the PBA (Public Building Authority) not involved," said Cunningham.

"There were too many chiefs and not enough Indians," he said. The county was paying as many as three construction manager fees, said Cunningham.

Cunningham also likes the idea of having "one person where the buck stops," he said.

Cunningham has suggested hiring a construction management firm to handle all details of the project. The architect would work for the construction manager under his plan.

"There is absolutely no reason for an architect to receive a construction manager fee or a general contractor to receive a construction manager fee," he said. "There was too much free icing on the cake."

"There are huge savings to be realized," said Cunningham.