Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp has promised to fully fund the proposed bid to build the new Tyner Academy after it came back $17 million higher than expected.
"With a focus on excellence from career training to athletics, the new Tyner Academy will set a high bar in public education for our entire county," Wamp said in a news release Wednesday. "Although costs increased substantially from initial estimates, it is important we honor the commitment made to the Tyner community and start construction as soon as possible."
The county can reprioritize other projects to cover the extra costs, Wamp said. The news release did not specify which projects would be affected.
The project is being funded through $33 million of the district's COVID-19 relief dollars and $45 million in bonds approved by the County Commission last year.
In November 2021, the project was originally estimated at $68 million. Once the scope was determined and market conditions were reassessed in February 2022, it was estimated the project had increased to nearly $78 million.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp and Schools Superintendent Justin Robertson confer as the Hamilton County Commission meets on Wednesday.Bids came in much higher, the lowest being $96 million from Christman Co., a Knoxville-based construction company.
School board members attributed the increase to inflation and the rising costs of construction materials.
The Hamilton County Commission will vote to accept the $96 million bid next week, according to the news release.
The Board of Education unanimously approved the bid Dec. 8, opting for a design with a scaled-back landscape, bringing the price tag down to around $95 million.
"All students deserve quality learning environments, and I am very hopeful this project will receive approval from the County Commission," Superintendent Justin Robertson said in the news release. "The future of Tyner is bright, and we are excited to move forward with this project."
The rebuild, which combines and replaces Tyner middle and high schools, comes after years of complaints by students and staff about the buildings' poor conditions.
— Compiled by Carmen Nesbitt