School Board Acts to Fund Phase II of White Pine School Project

The Jefferson County School Board approved funding late last week that would allow for the completion of Phase II at White Pine School. School Board Member Cox, who represents the White Pine district, brought two motions during Thursday’s meeting to secure funding to complete the renovation and addition project at White Pine School. Previously, the project was split when the cost of the kitchen and cafeteria renovation, and the addition of eight class rooms and a band room soared well above the joint $2 million dollar contribution from the Jefferson County Commission and the Jefferson County School Board. After much negotiation between the Board and the County Commission, the decision was made to fund an additional $8 million dollars and stage the project in phases. The first phase has been underway for several months, and includes four classrooms and the kitchen/cafeteria renovation, as well as associated spaces. The School Board also allocated an additional $200,000 from their capital projects budget to fund the band room portion of the project.

With the beginning of a new fiscal year, information became available that indicated that the School Board would see a significant roll over in unused funds from the previous fiscal year. Board Member Cox, one of four Board Members present for Thursday’s meeting, made the motion to use $684,410 to fund alternative one and two of Phase II of the project. Alternate one consists of two classrooms, estimated to cost $249,198. Alternate two consists of one classroom and one science lab, at a cost of $412,068. Also included was a $23,144 contingency for a total allocation of $684,410. In his motion, Cox requested the allocation from the General Fund Balance and that they act without another bid process. His motion was unanimously approved. Cox also offered another successful motion that would allow the allocation of $684,410 from fund balance if the County Commission required a separate bidding process, to assure that the project was funded in the most timely manner possible.

The request will go before the full County Commission this week, and will bypass the normal procedure, which would take the request before the County Budget Committee for recommendation. This unusual path for approval will require 14 affirmative votes on the County Commission for approval, rather than the usual simple majority, and will also require amending a previous motion of the County Commission that requires Phase I to be completed before other work may start on the White Pine Project. Meanwhile, work is continuing on Phase I of the project, with an eye on kitchen and cafeteria access when school starts back the first week in August.

Source: K. Depew, News Director