Board OKs contracts for ELC, TNHS projects hoping funds will be available

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, April 21, 2015, 11 p.m. — The Nelson County Board of Education approved selection of the construction manager and architect for the $2.55 million Thomas Nelson High School Phase 3 project at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night.

District COO Tim Hockensmith discusses the district construction projects at Tuesday nights board meeting.

The board chose BCD Construction as construction manager and Studio Kremer Architects of Louisville to design Thomas Nelson High School Phase 3, a project which will include the addition of an auditorium at the school. The board selected BCD and Studio Kremer last month as construction manager and architect for the $2.25 million expansion of the district’s Early Learning Center on Cardinal Drive.

The school board also approved contracts with both firms for both projects, which are tentatively scheduled to be built simultaneously in time for each to be open by August 2016 according to Tim Hockensmith, the district’s chief operating officer.

While the district is planning to build both projects, the Thomas Nelson project could be delayed if the district does not have enough bonding capacity to afford both projects. Hockensmith said the district will know more when more accurate construction estimates are available.

Board members Diane Breeding, David Norman and Superintendent Anthony Orr.

Board member Diane Berry asked if the ELC project could be scaled back in order to afford the Thomas Nelson project.

“I don’t know that anything is out of the picture,” Hockensmith said. The construction bids will determine if the district can afford to start both projects.

Berry said she didn’t like the thought of the Thomas Nelson project being postponed if there’s enough money left after the ELC expansion is funded. “To me, ‘what’s left’ isn’t good enough and it isn’t fair,” she said.

Hockensmith said the board will have more information at its May meeting. The board will not be able to bid a project it doesn’t have bonding potential to actually build, he said. “If we don’t (have the bonding potential) then you’ll have a decision to make.”

Board chairman Damon Jackey credited Studio Kremer with being able to help the district make decisions and changes to save money in past construction projects — flexibility that may be important in affording the construction of both projects simultaneously.

Studio Kremer — architects for the first two phases of Thomas Nelson — also has agreed to offer the district a lower rate for its services than if the project was re-bid.

FOOD SERVICE SOFTWARE. April Peach, district director of school nutrition, asked the board to approve a new software system for the district’s food service management.

Peach recommended the board approve Heartland School Solutions’ Mosaic web-based food service software to replace its outdated software, which is no longer supported.

Mosaic can run on the district’s existing hardware, and offers apps and web-based access to students’ accounts. The software makes it easy to accept debit and credit card transactions. No additional hardware is needed, she said. Peach said she had experience with Heartland School Solutions’ software while working for another district.

Expect the Best award recipients for April included Renee Douglas, a parent volunteer at Boston School; Mitzi Avritt, the Beta sponsor for Bloomfield Elementary and Bloomfield Middle schools; Nada Kaissieh, a Thomas Nelson High School sophomore who recently won a grant to start a program called GRIT — Girls Readiness In Technology — which will teach girls how to write computer code on their iPhones; and Cheryl McMaster, a first-grade teacher at Foster Heights Elementary School. Click to enlarge.

The initial install date is June 16 with staff training after that.

EXPECT THE BEST. The board recognized several individuals with “Expect the Best” awards. The recipients included:

— Renee Douglas, a parent volunteer at Boston School;

— Mitzi Avritt, who serves as Beta sponsor for Bloomfield Elementary and Bloomfield Middle schools;

— Nada Kaissieh, a Thomas Nelson High School sophomore who recently won a grant to start a program called GRIT — Girls Readiness In Technology — which will teach girls how to write computer code on their iPhones.

— Cheryl McMaster, a first-grade teacher at Foster Heights Elementary;

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