A joint meeting was held yesterday afternoon for the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Greeneville City Schools Board of Education and plans were discussed to move forward with process to build a new school system.
The discussion to build a new school has come about several times but a meeting was held in October to set up a plan as growth in Greeneville continues. The Joint Visioning Committee came up with recommendations which include developing an overall plan for grade configuration by mid 2023, to conduct Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an Architect and Construction Manager by mid-2023, purchase and secure land for a new school by the end of 2023, and to open a new school by August 2029.
The meeting yesterday was held to start developing those plans and get the process started. The construction for the new school would cost about $50 M, with a property tax increase to possibly 75 cents. Mayor Cal Doty was frightened with the amount of funds it would take to build this new school. He said he felt uncomfortable with the tax increase and doesn’t think our people can afford that. Mayor Doty asked how many students would be added to the new school and if a new school would put one of the current schools out of service. Director of Schools Steve Starnes said there would be no change to any of the current schools, the only change would be grade configuration.
Director Starnes said there were multiple sites that were considered but it came down to three that worked best. Both boards reviewed the three sites and decided the best option was to go with a 53.7 acre-property located on Jeffwoods Memorial Drive. The property is located right behind the fairgrounds and would allow for safer access to the new school as well as more space for potential sports fields. The potential school site would be a two-story Middle School with a 600-seat auditorium, and has space for an additional 16 classrooms.
A motion was made for both Director Steve Starnes and City Administrator Todd Smith to work together and begin negotiations on Jeffwoods Memorial Drive. A meeting was scheduled for March 9th at 5 PM in the Kathryn Leonard Central Office for the next steps which are to evaluate infrastructure needs such as roads, gas supply, sewer, water, electric etc., for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to discuss land purchase during budget preparation for 2023-24. Also included in the next steps is the School Board selecting an Architect and Construction Manager, developing a site preparation and a budget for school construction, and to begin design work.