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In the wake of a postponed $25 million bond issue, Maryville school officials gathered Thursday to discuss the future of six school projects.

Officials said they remain committed to building Coulter Grove Intermediate School. "A new intermediate school will alleviate (system) overcrowding more so than any other type of school," said board member Denny Garner. "The overcrowding has not changed. We are still in need of an intermediate school."

All of Maryville's elementary schools are currently overcrowded. Coulter Grove would solve overcrowding at Maryville's elementary and intermediate schools until 2025, according to the system's student projections.

Barry Brooke, Lawler-Wood's executive vice president for commercial development, informed school board members that subcontractors had submitted bids for Coulter Grove Intermediate School. The project's total bid cost for building and site work was $22,992,284. The intermediate school's total cost with furniture, fixtures and all other equipment is estimated at $28,547,556.

Lawler-Wood has asked all subcontractors to hold their bids for 60 days, said Brooke.

Delay costs $200,000

After speaking with the project's engineers, architects, grading and general contractors, Lawler-Wood presented school board members with two options on how to shut the undertaking down. "It's not simple to stop a project like this," explained Brooke, who estimated the project's delay would cost $200,000.

Option one would be to finish grading the building pad, or foundation levels, and slope the site to drain and comply with Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation standards. Nearly $50,000 in storm sewer and sanitary structures are on-site and cannot be returned. The pipe on-site, however, can be returned for a stocking fee.

Option two would be to complete the contract work, protect the building pad and spread topsoil over the entire site and seed it. This would be the least-costly option for the school system if officials decide to put an intermediate school on the site, said Brooke.

Additional funds will have to be spent to scrape the topsoil off before the school is constructed, he said. "We'll then be ready to go and can hit the ground running."

Several board members seemed wary of completing the site work. "I don't want to finish the pad, come back and have to re-do it," said Garner, who feared the soil would not meet project specifications when it was time to start construction.

"Guaranteeing soil work is very difficult," said Brooke, who noted they have insurance from the soil engineers.

Brooke said he could present board members with option costs in two weeks.

Maryville High overcrowded

School officials then turned their discussion to Maryville High School and its overcrowding situation. The school is expected to have a significant increase in incoming students over the next four to five years.

Phase 1 of Maryville High School's expansion project has been projected at $14,951,031 using schematic drawings. Future phases of the school's expansion could cost an estimated $80 million.

Mike Casteel, principal of Maryville High School, stressed to board members that a new classroom wing would not meet all the school's needs. Maryville High's cafeteria is at capacity, and the school's hallways, auditorium and library are already posing challenges, he said.

Johnson Architecture is currently looking at ways to maximize Maryville High's infrastructure so it can meet basic needs, said Kristin Grove, the firm's project manager.

City officials have $10 million in cash to fund the projects. Officials have discussed using part of this money to pay for the nearly $5.7 million in renovations at the Fort Craig School of Dynamic Learning, John Sevier Elementary, Sam Houston Elementary and Maryville Middle Schools.