I am now prepared to comment on the Hardin Valley High School issue.
1) I was involved in the beginning discussions on Hardin Valley High. I am in receipt of many of the programming standards and plans for this Hardin Valley High. Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale said during the wheel tax vote that it would fund a $40 million dollar high school.
2) The Knox County School Board then proposed a $53 million dollar high school and ultimately cut it to about $47 million. So, they are attempting to buy a Cadillac Esclade on a Suburban budget.
3) The Knox County School Board when cost overruns were eating up the Cedar Bluff Primary school, the board shifted the funds from another project, Cedar Bluff Intermediate to the Primary.
So, with the precedent set. The Brian’s Blog solution is for the County Commission to take the $5.0 – $7.0 million from the next project which is Powell Middle located in the same Sixth district and allocate those funds to the Hardin Valley High School to accommodate for the cost overruns. The School Board has washed its hands of it instead asking the Commission to fix it and this seems a resonable solution.
