Geothermal HVAC being installed at Whitley North Elementary School

The Whitley County High School FFA Land Judging Team, which recently won the state championship, was recognized during the Whitley County Board of Education’s special called meeting Monday.

Work to upgrade the HVAC system at one Whitley County school is moving forward as planned while work to expand the cafeteria at another school has been dealt a brief delay.

During a special called meeting Monday, the Whitley County Board of Education approved a bid by Momentum Construction to install a new HVAC system at Whitley North Elementary School, which will include a new geothermal heating and cooling system along with new ceilings and a new LED lighting system.

The total project costs, including architecture fees, survey work, and a state-mandated 5 percent contingency fund will be $4,643,724.50.

The contingency fund is $204,000, but that money could go back if it is not needed, noted Beth Bauer, a project manager with Ross Tarrant Architects.

Jodie Elliott was the winner of the December Above and Beyond Award.

The geothermal and new lighting were bid as alternates that added about $1 million to the project costs.

“If we are going to do it, we need to do it now,” Board Chairwoman Brenda Hill said about the upgrades. “It will be like a new school.”

Superintendent John Siler noted that there will be significant energy savings by switching to the geothermal system. With the exception of the Whitley County Middle School project, when the district builds a new school or replaces the HVAC system at an existing school, it has typically switched over to a geothermal system.

It is expected to take two to four weeks for the Kentucky Department of Education to approve the bid, which must be done before construction can begin.

Siler said that it’s possible Momentum Construction could start drilling the geothermal wells early next year, and the project is expected to be completed prior to the start of school next August.

Siler said there are portions of the school where the company can start working, which will cause minimal disruptions, such as work in hallways.

During Monday’s meeting, the board also rejected a bid on the Oak Grove Elementary School cafeteria expansion project, which will almost double the size of the cafeteria.

Bauer noted that Ross Tarrant was recommending that the lone bid be rejected, which was significantly over budget, and suggested the project be rebid.

Bauer said that the bids on the project were due around Thanksgiving, which she thinks helped account for only one bid on the project.

Siler noted that the estimated project costs were about $600,000 and the lone bid was more than double that estimate.

The board followed Bauer’s recommendation and rejected the lone bid and voted to rebid it.

Bauer said the project will be rebid in January with bids being opened in time for the winning bid to be approved during the board’s February monthly meeting.

With more competition, Bauer said her company is hoping the bid amounts go down.

Prior to the start of Monday’s meeting, Whitley County Board Member Kenny Carr led a prayer for the victims of the tornadoes in western Kentucky and other places.

In addition, during Monday’s meeting, the board presented the December Above and Beyond Award to Oak Grove Elementary School Family Resource Center Director Jodie Elliott.

The board also recognized members of the Whitley County High School FFA Land Judging Team, which recently won the state championship. Members of the team include: Chelsey Logan, R.J. Osborne, Kayla Shelley, Megan Steely and Bryanna Walker.

Steely had the highest individual score, and Walker had the third highest score at the state competition.

Thursday meeting

The Whitley County High School Culinary Arts Team provided refreshments for Thursday’s regularly called Whitley County Board of Education meeting.

The school board held its regular monthly meeting Thursday, which included approval of a February 2022 field trip by the Whitley County High School DECA program to Florida.

Siler noted that the site-based decision making council at the high school had already approved the trip, and the trip is at no cost to the district as the DECA program raised its own money to pay for the trip.

The board also approved renewal of the mowing services bid for 2022 with Imperial Property Services LLC.

Much of Thursday’s meeting was spent on a presentation of comprehensive school improvement plans by the various schools in the district, which were in the form of PowerPoint presentations that were played in a loop on a monitor in the board office lobby.

The Whitley County High School Culinary Arts Team provided refreshments in the lobby during the presentations.