Energy, turf, roofing eyed by Cleveland school board – Cleveland Daily Banner

Dyer

By SARALYNNORKUS saralyn.norkus@clevelandbanner.com

The Cleveland City Schools site committee meeting was filled to the brim with updates, discussions and recommendations made on various projects.

On the agenda for Wednesday morning was the Cleveland Middle School roofing project, the potential energy savings project with Energy Systems Group, and updates on the Candys Creek Cherokee Elementary School pre-bid meeting and the turf field at Cleveland High School.

Its progress and thats exciting, Site Committee Chairman Steve Morgan declared.

Director of Schools Dr. Russell Dyer left Wednesdays meeting feeling the school systems capital projects are all moving along in the right direction.

I think our Board of Education has put a premium on making sure that our energy systems, our buildings, and our grounds are in good shape. That makes the learning environment more comfortable for our students and employees, Dyer said.

Ill also give credit to the City Council and citizens of Cleveland for allowing us to have some of that sales tax revenue that goes specifically towards our capital projects.

Having received bids for the CMS roofing project a week ago, Upland Design Group architect Brian Templeton presented the committee with low bidder according to the base bid and the bid alternates.

C.M. Henley was low bidder for the base bid, coming in at $656,719. Low bidder for the base bid and the first alternate, which is a partial reroof of Blythe Bower Elementary School with a 20-year warranty was Dixie Roofing, for a total of $886,680. Low bidder for the base bid and a partial reroof of Blythe Bower with a 30-year warranty went back to C.M. Henley.

Templeton suggested the committee consider recommending the base bid and alternate No. 2, because it would be a solid investment. He pointed out the 30-year warranty is not just for insurance purposes, but includes a thicker membrane roof.

City Schools Director of Maintenance and Transportation Hal Taylor agreed with Templetons statements.

Because all of the bids still came in lower than they were initially expecting, site committee member Peggy Pesterfield made a motion that they present the base bid and 30-year roof option at Blythe Bower to the Board of Education on Monday. Charlie Cogdill seconded the motion.

The groups second recommendation involved starting up a project with Energy Systems Group, who is already working with Bradley County Schools to make their buildings more energy efficient.

In Aprils BOE meeting, ESG business development manager Russ Nelson presented a energy update plan that could save the school system $225,000 to $300,000 a year in utilities. All of the projects upgrades would be funded from those savings over a 15 or 20-year deal.

We spend so much time piecemealing and doing [other] things, and this is an opportunity for us to get a lot of work done at the same time and bring everything back up to the level as some of our newer equipment, Morgan said

Maintenance-wise, and its not glittery or pretty stuff, but its the guts and the nuts and bolts of how our system works. To get that efficient and to save us all that money in the long term, itd have to be the most exciting aspect.

The group discussed their fears on how the plan sounded too good to be true, but Director of Schools Dr. Russell Dyer feels that they have done enough research to be comfortable with moving forward with ESG.

I think we have done our due diligence in checking references from other school systems within Tennessee that have gone with the same company and used the same type of contract they have seen savings, Dyer stated.

You have to check facts, you have to check resources, and Ithink weve done our homework on this.

The guarantee that they offer will be verified by our attorney, and gives us the reassurance that what they say is what they mean and well have recourse to hold them to that line, Dyer continued. From our talks with other school systems, other superintendents and other people who do Hals job, thats what they found to be true. We feel very confident in their abilities.

Cogdill made a motion that the site committee recommend to the board that they move forward with the energy update project with ESG.

The site committees recommendations will be voted on at the May BOE meeting, which is this coming Monday at the Administrative Office Building at 5:30 p.m.

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Energy, turf, roofing eyed by Cleveland school board - Cleveland Daily Banner