The Bartlett school board awarded a bid for rooftop air conditioners at its Sept. 28 meeting and gave updates on its new district office building, the soccer field building and plans to renegotiate the Durham bus contract this year.
The Bartlett City Schools district received seven bids to replace the rooftop air conditioning units at Altruria Elementary School. One bid was withdrawn, and the board chose the lowest of the remaining offers. The board awarded the bid to Bluff City Fire Protection and Mechanical in Memphis for $76,900.
Work on the new district office at Bartlett Square is progressing, according to Superintendent Dr. David Stephens. Engineering is almost complete and ready to go to bid. Quite a few of the tenants who were already leasing space in the building before the district bought it are opting to move, in light of the dust and noise that will arise with the upcoming renovations, he said. Two or three other tenants have not yet solidified an exit date.
This is also the year that the district will renegotiate its contract with its bus agency, Durham School Services. No formal discussions have begun yet, but the district is looking ahead to the loss of a bus per the Bartlett High School master plan. One option might be putting in a lot behind the Bartlett 9th Grade Academy, Stephens said, but he emphasized that this idea is still in the exploratory stages.
The school’s soccer field construction project is also coming along nicely, Stephens said. It includes the addition of a structure for changing rooms and restrooms. Concreted has been poured, and the structure has been bricked, roofed and painted and doors have been installed. It’s expected to be completed within two weeks.
Among other business, the following also happened at the meeting:
- Shoneisha Myers, the president of the Bartlett Education Association (a professional organization for educators), offered the members’ services to the board for committees and in decision-making processes.
- Stephens noted that Bartlett City Schools was one of 55 districts in the state that was rated as Level 5 in growth, which he said was a testament to the hard work of the schools.
- The board approved acceptance of a $40,900 Tennessee Department of Education Safe Schools Grant for School Resource Officers and camera upgrades.
- The board approved minor changes to the district’s annual safety plan.
One board member, Jeff Norris, was absent from the meeting.
CAROLYN BAHM is the editor of The Bartlett Express. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to carolyn.bahm@journalinc.com.
