An initiative years in the making could soon be around the bend for one school as a soon as January 2017.
The Elizabethton City School System is looking at upgrading T.A. Dugger Junior High School to better serve the students in the area in the wake of the 75th anniversary celebration, scheduled to begin in December.
The system made a proposal to the City Council during October’s meeting that included a two-story, eight-classroom expansion. During the meeting, Director of Schools Dr. Corey Gardenhour estimated the price of renovations to be between $3.5 to $4 million according to early projections.
But citizens wouldn’t expect to see a tax hike from the work, according to the director, due to the financing plan aimed at leveraging the half-cent sales tax that was voted in by the school system years back.
“What we’re trying to do is look at our current bond for the half-cent sales tax,” Gardenhour said following October’s meeting. “Redo the bonds from a higher interest rate of four-and-a-half percent down to almost zero percent, where they are right now. In doing so, we can create money to do the T.A. Dugger work. It’s important that the public knows that we can do this project without raising any property tax. Based on how we structure the bond moving forward, we feel the money is there.”
T.A. Dugger has also seen a fair share of traffic through the hallways. According to numbers provided by the system, more than 700 people are inside the facility daily.
“Our current City Council and School Board had a vision to create an Elizabethton that’s welcoming to families, and the school is the incubator for that growth,” Gardenhour said. “Over the last 10 years, we have brought in more than 600 students which has a significant impact on the local economy.”
The system is looking at the expansion to address five items: a growing population, ADA accessibility, restrooms, traffic, and upgrades for Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) classrooms.
“Many of the highest-paying jobs are predicted to be in science fields when these students enter the workforce, and we can prepare them to pursue those careers by providing necessary upgrades to STEM classrooms,” Gardenhour said.
The expansion will go directly off the back of the building. The system is looking at increase the restroom facilities on both floors – addressing needs for individuals and groups that use the school’s auditorium – and with the expansion, move classes that are currently being taught from two modular buildings to inside the main building. The system has already divided classrooms to make one class into two and have converted a locker room into classroom space.
The expansion would also include making the entire school ADA accessible and create an additional pickup and drop off lane at the back of the school to resolve overflow traffic issues.
Before the proposal is accepted, it must make it through first and second readings during upcoming City Council meetings.