I have just received a phone call that has informed me that in the current program plan for the New Northwest High School, there is a 25,000 square foot Field House. I will comment on Field Houses at the conclusion of this post.

Based on our earlier exercise, There is a 78,500 square foot upgrade that cost $9,969,500.00. With the reduction of the additional square footage. The school system is currently $4,030,500.00 over budget.

Let’s now conduct a field house exercise.

Square footage 25,000 X $127.00 per square foot construction = $3,175,000.00

Reduce a field house that cost $3,175,000.00 from $4,030,500.00 and the over-run is now only $855,500.00

Here is my insight on Knox County field houses. Farragut High School Football Booster Club built a field house two years ago while I served as a school board member with parent and private donations. While the Gibbs community received a $1.0 million dollar field house paid for by the tax-payers. Bearden High School has NEVER received a field house.

It would appear to the people that I have talked with in the community today, that the cost over-runs have been the result of school officials receiving the money for a Suburban and instead trying to buy a Cadillac Escalade “The King of Bling.”