Lake Forest Middle School students change classes in the afternoon. While many walkways are covered between pod buildings on the campus, several metal overhangs are prone to leaking during wet weather, said faculty members.CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The Bradley County Commission’s finance committee will meet Thursday to review ways and means to fulfill a commitment of up to $12 million for a proposed overhaul of Lake Forest Middle School.
The project calls for replacing a dozen 40-year-old classroom pods spread across Lake Forest’s 75-acre campus with a central academic building composed of 57 classroom spaces.
On Monday evening, commissioners voted 14-0 to give the finance committee a chance to scrutinize projected revenue streams and expenditures that would affect the proposed 2016-17 timetable for the capital project.
The decision came after a 12-2 vote in which the Bradley County Commission formally reaffirmed the funding commitment made by the past county commission in September 2013. Commissioners Dan Rawls and Thomas Crye cast the opposing votes.
The measure, put forth by Commissioner Johnny Mull, is “conditional on the approval of the Bradley County mayor and the finance director at the time of funding.”
Rawls tried to have the matter put before the finance committee instead of voting on the proposed funding timetable beforehand. Only Crye supported Rawls’ substitute proposal.
His intention was to give the finance committee a chance “to look at all the possible revenue streams, all the options, and assess what funding is there and how we can pay for it,” Rawls said.
The county’s ability to fund the middle school makeover needs to be certain so as to prevent the Bradley County school system from wasting money on architect fees and other preliminary expenses, he said.
The reaffirmation vote was to show “a good-faith effort” to the school system, said Commissioner Jeff Yarber, who serves as vice chairman of the Bradley County Commission.
Yarber said funding a new structure is preferable to pouring money down a “black hole of funding” for increasing maintenance and repair costs on the aging classroom pods.
In a previous meeting, Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis told the Bradley County Commission that funding was not available for the capital school project in 2016-17.
Several commissioners said they did not want to resort to a tax increase to pay for the Lake Forest project.
“For this to be a success, this is going to have to be a joint effort and everybody’s going to have to pitch in,” Rawls said.
“It is not the school board’s responsibility to build this building,” said Commissioner Bill Winters.
The Bradley County Board of Education has sought to implement a “program of savings” to be allocated to capital needs such as Lake Forest.
The school board recently asked Director of Schools Johnny McDaniel to find up to $3 million for capital allocations in the coming budget cycle.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.