The Jackson County School Board awarded a bid Thursday night to replace the dust collection system at the Jackson County High School ag room.
The board reviewed three bids and awarded the low bid of an estimated $51,000 from Lee Company. Director of Schools Jason Hardy said the school system has an $80,000 grant to pay for the replacement.
“It’s needed now because our old dust collection system has pretty much, it’s not failed, but it’s very close, so it needs to be replaced,” Hardy said. “We are woodworking, and we are welding in that shop, so we are gonna make sure that the air is clean and dust-free, and so our kids in there, you know, have a healthy environment.”
The board initially questioned the low bid as it was significantly lower than the other two bids. The board awarded the bid contingent on the bid meeting all of the required specs.
“Basically, what they should be in their package there is not only are they providing the pieces of equipment for the dust collection system, but they are supposed to be doing all the work,” Hardy said. “So they would do every single thing except for a pad that the Jackson County School System would pour the pad. So they should be doing all the other work involved in the project.”
School Board Member Shannon Wilson made a motion to award the project to the lowest bidder, noting that any remaining grant funds could be redirected to another project. Hardy said having leftover funds ultimately worked in the board’s favor.
“I’m sure we’ll have all kinds of ideas, so we’ll just have to sit down and look at it as a team, and kind of see what’s needed and where we can put that money toward,” Hardy said. “But it’s a good problem to have, so I’m very happy that we have some extra money to put toward another project.”
Hardy said the plan is to have the contractor replace the dust collection system once the school year is over. Hardy did not rule out the possibility of doing the project when the schools are out for Spring Break in early March.
In other business, the board approved to set a virtual learning day for Jackson County High School on March 24. Hardy said the school system has done this for several years, so students can focus on ACT testing.
The board approved an overnight trip for the Jackson County High School Boys Soccer Team to attend the Smoky Mountain Cup in Gatlinburg.
The board approved fundraisers for Dodson Branch Elementary School and the school’s PTO.