Sullivan Commission Approves Several County School Projects

Opening the Way for Education Infrastructure Improvements

In a remarkable display of commitment to education, the Sullivan County Commission displayed its support for several local school projects. The green light was given at the commission’s meeting held on Thursday, paving the way for significant improvements in the school system’s infrastructure.

A New Access Road and Field Lighting for County Schools

Among the prominent projects approved by the commission is the construction of a new access road at West Ridge High School and football field lighting at Sullivan East High School. For the access road’s construction, a bid has been accepted from Baker Construction Services for a $2.5 million project that will link the school to the nearby Henry Harr Road. The approved lighting project for Sullivan East High School’s football field will bear a cost of $250,000. These projects represented a considerable portion of the capital improvement efforts backed by the commission:

Funding the Facilities and Programs

Funding has also been unanimously approved by the commission for the addition of four classrooms to Sullivan East Middle School. A sum of up to $850,000 will supplement funds from an Innovative School Models Grant. These classrooms will be employed to expand the school’s career and technical education programs, in response to a previously received bid of $1.3 million for this initiative. The remaining costs will be defrayed by the grant.

Addressing Infrastructure Issues

The commission has taken steps to address longstanding maintenance issues in the school system, approving a resolution to allot up to $300,000 for the purchase and replacement of the boiler for Miller Perry Elementary School. The allocation for this capital improvement will come from the system’s undesignated fund balance.

Commission Discussion and Unanimous Approval

Amid discussions, questions were raised regarding the series of capital improvement projects the school system had been endorsing in recent months. As the county steps into budget discussions, Commissioner David Akard, who chairs the county’s budget committee, expressed curiosity over the recurrent expenditure requests. Commissioner Mark Ireson shed light on these concerns, stating that the system has about $25 million in its fund balance earmarked to spend on such projects. He further highlighted that the system was committed to necessary infrastructure enhancements, some of which were overdue.

Despite some absent members, each of the presented school projects received unanimous approval by the commission present at the meeting, demonstrating once again the county’s dedication to improving and maintaining quality in education.