The DeKalb County Board of Education has taken the first step in seeking FEMA grant funds which, if approved, would be used to help construct “safe rooms” in a classroom building project at DeKalb West School.
Millions of dollars are available to eligible applicants under the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for building safe rooms to withstand winds in the event of a tornado. In this case, not only would the new safe rooms provide a place for students and school staff to take shelter in the event of a tornado, it would also ease overcrowding at the school by providing more classroom space.
During a special called meeting Tuesday night, the Board of Education voted to pay KBJM Architects, Inc. of Mount Juliet a total of $7,500 to prepare a design for the project and to pay Lashlee-Rich, Inc. of Humbolt $7,500 to prepare cost estimates and for the grant writing.
David Brown, architect of Kaatz, Binkley, Jones & Morris Architects, Inc. (KBJM), and Greer Lashlee of Lashlee-Rich, Inc. addressed the school board Tuesday night. Under this FEMA grant program, Brown said the school system could apply for up to three million dollars for this project with the federal government paying 75% of the cost, if approved. The state would pay 12.5% leaving the local share at 12.5%. “This grant is paying for the construction, the structure, the mechanical, electrical. It is paying a large chunk of it. We’ve got to take it from where our normal design stops and meet these (FEMA) guidelines but the premium that you’re going to pay is smaller than the grant you’re going to get. The way it works is this. We (KBJM) do the design, Then Greer (Lashlee) of Lashlee-Rich, Inc. will come up with detailed estimates and it’ll be broken down by materials, labor, soft costs, and we’ll have to use the guidelines that the application dictates and then we’ll come up with an amount that you need. That amount can be up to three million dollars. Lets say we have a classroom addition and in your particular case it ends up being two million dollars that we can justify for this program being this addition at DeKalb West. Out of that two million dollars, the federal government will pay for 75%. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency will kick in another 12.5% which just leaves 12.5% locally. So for every one million dollars worth of construction, its $125-thousand dollars locally. That’s the best thing out there,” said Brown.
Brown said once the plans have been prepared he will meet with the school board again in January. “I’ve been to DeKalb West several times. I’ve looked at the facility and the needs but the first thing we must have is a design. What are we going to have there. We’ve talked about classrooms, a secure vestibule and entrance to that school and obviously the kitchen needs work as well but the initial thing we need to have is a design so that I can give it to Greer so he can look at that area and come up with those (cost) estimates. We have to do what is called a benefit cost analysis and the benefit cost ratio has to be high enough for them (FEMA) to want to help you with this. But the school projects by default always hit that mark. So we need to do a design. I’d like to come back in January to give you a more detailed breakdown of what we’re proposing, what we think it will cost, and how much of a grant we need to ask for, and what the local share of that grant would be. If it still looks good in January, we can press on with our grant writer and submit this. I can tell you that the folks at the state are wanting to give this money away,” said Brown.
The deadline for submitting the grant application is March 1st.
Brown advised against filing an application for more than one project at this time, but added that grant applications for other local schools could be submitted later if funds are still available.
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