By Bill Grubb

ROGERSVILLE - Although there is still work to be completed, Hawkins County school officials are optimistic three building projects will be ready for students when they report back to school August 10.
    Assistant Director of Schools Jim Hageman updated school board members on the status of the Phase III building program at the June board meeting.
    The school system is constructing self-contained 12-classroom buildings at Cherokee High School and Volunteer High School to house incoming ninth grade students in a "Freshman Academy."  
    Bulls Gap School is undergoing an extensive renovation and expansion.  
    The school system is building a new school in Church Hill for fifth and sixth grade students and a new Clinch School.
    "Cherokee is 99 percent finished," Hageman said. "Cherokee is in great shape and will be ready to go."
    He said work on the Cherokee project should be completed within a week, but noted work on the Volunteer project will probably take another month.
    "They had some weather problems up there when they were first getting started, but now they are inside and dry and they're getting ready to fly," Hageman said of the Volunteer building.
    The third building project slated to open at the start of the upcoming school year, Bulls Gap, is the one Hageman expressed the most concern about.
    "We're praying for Bulls Gap," Hageman quipped.  "It's probably going to be close."
    While the construction of the expansion is virtually completed, he said renovating the existing building is a time consuming process.
    "Where we are crossing our fingers is in the renovation where they're doing demolition, and when I say demolition I'm talking going at it with jack hammers and everything else," he said.
    Hageman noted one portion of the project may not be finished, renovating lower level dressing rooms for the gym and the installation of an elevator.
    "We told the contractor to back off on that  because it is not crucial to the start of school," he said.
    The Church Hill and Clinch projects are not scheduled to be completed until 2010.  Hageman said the contractors on both projects are estimating a January 2010 completion date.
    He also provided board members with brief review of a Tennessee Valley Authority energy audit outlining ways the school system could reduce power consumption and energy costs.
    The report indicates the school system could save approximately $15,000 per year at both Cherokee and Volunteer by replacing existing fluorescent lights with more efficient T-8 lighting, will upgrading existing gym lighting could cut more than $2,300 from the electric bill for each school.
    Board Chairman Charles Fuller suggested Hageman review the audit and develop cost estimates for making the changes to be reviewed by the board during the budgeting process.
    The board also heard a report from Director of Schools Charlotte Britton concerning her decision to name Bill Shedden, husband of Board member Debbie Shedden, to the post of maintenance supervisor.
    As director, Britton has the authority to hire individuals, with no board approval required.
    The director said numerous applications were received and of the applicants interviewed Shedden was, in her opinion, most qualified.
    She also told board members Shedden's previous experience in the private sector involved developing and implementing preventive maintenance programs.