Bid approval for the DeKalb West School construction project has been delayed by a month
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David Brown of Kaatz, Binkley, Jones, & Morris Architects of Mount Juliet, updated the school board on the project Thursday night. Brown said bidding will be delayed a month but that won’t affect the projected completion date. “We are hard at work wrapping up DeKalb West,” said Brown. “We have a couple of loose ends we’re tying up this week. One is your low voltage and technology package where the budget came in way, way not where we wanted it to be so we have been working with Systems Integration to repackage that and get it back down where it needs to be budget wise. We’re also wrapping up the kitchen design. We’ve got a few improvements to make there. We’re going to meet one last time on Monday and wrap that up. I am going to slide the schedule. Not your move in schedule. You’re still going to have everything done and move in by August 2014 but I need to slide the date that you approve the bids. Instead of approving bids at your April school board meeting, I need you to approve bids at your May school board meeting. That affects when we get started a little bit but not when you move in. On bid day we’ll have different packages for the contractors to submit pricing on. One is the storm shelter itself. The next is the traditional construction which would be any miscellaneous renovation, the kitchen and all the work that goes along with that. Number three is the roof which we can evaluate. Number four is what Johnson Controls is doing as apart of the new construction where they are guaranteeing the (energy) savings that you’re going to see. We have been working with Johnson and their folks. Their engineers evaluate and recommend but its actually our engineers that do the drawings, stamp them and have them in the plans. We’re having to work with them very closely to make sure we have everything just right. So basically we’re in the home stretch and we’ll have an update next month. By May we’ll have numbers you folks can evaluate and act on hopefully and then get mobilized and be ready to go by the time school gets out. We’re not going to get done in August. We’ll get done over the summer to give us time to do a punch list and give you folks time to move in and then open for business in August 2014. But the construction will be done before then,” said Brown
The proposed addition will be constructed in the front of the school, including eight classrooms, restrooms, a new secure entrance, an office, clinic, conference room, guidance and teacher work area. A cafeteria and kitchen renovation is also included for the school.

Ground has been broken for the construction of a new field house for the DCHS Tiger Football program.
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Tiger Coach Steve Trapp updated the Board of Education on the plans Thursday night. “It’s been about three and a half years but we did break ground last week. There have been a couple of changes but they have not been made without talking to the appropriate people, Mr. Mark Willoughby, Mr. Patrick Cripps, Maintenance Supervisor Earl Jared, the Fire Marshal, the Architect Gaius Overton. Originally we had an all block building. We’ve made a change. Its still the same building as far as layout, size, and function purposes of the building but we have decided to go with a steel building instead of an all block building,” said Coach Trapp. “It was the recommendation of the architect and fire marshal to look in that avenue (to make these changes) so that the time frame and a little bit of the cost will be saved as well. We have broken ground. We have everything started. The steel building will arrive next Thursday and we’ll have all of spring break to get after it and get that thing up. The perfect scenario is to have that thing put together and have everything cleaned up on the outside before graduation so it won’t be a mess. All the plans have been resent to the fire marshal so he knows our plans. He has seen everything and he has signed off on it and everything is in good order,” said Coach Trapp
The original plans were for the new field house to be a 50 x 70 foot block exterior structure with a metal roof located near the existing facility between the practice field and playing field. It would be for the Tiger football program complete with a dressing room area, locker room, training room, utility room, showers and bathrooms, an office for the coach, and two dry storage areas, one of which would be for the youth football league.

The board adopted a resolution of appreciation honoring Professional Services Staff.
The resolution states that “Whereas, the DeKalb County School System is served by an admirable group of special teachers and staff members including related arts teachers, music teachers, school nurses, guidance counselors, school resource officers, psychologists, and speech and hearing specialists; and
Whereas, this group of professionals consists of competent and dedicated individuals who play a large role in the success of the students in DeKalb County; and
Whereas, the special teachers and staff members in the DeKalb County School District are responsible for providing a variety of special services to many students on a daily basis; and
Whereas, these professionals join the efforts of our teaching and administrative staff to help us meet the unique needs of each student from teaching physical conditioning, library skills, bandaging a wound to offering encouragement and hope for students in despair; and
Whereas, the DeKalb County Board of Education wishes to honor the commitment and service the special teachers and staff provides
Now, Therefore, Be it resolved that, the Board of Education hereby establishes March 21, 2013 as Special Teachers and Staff Appreciation Day in all DeKalb County Schools; and
Be it further resolved that the board expresses appreciation and thanks to all who provide special services in our school system and encourages each school and community to recognize these individuals for their role in the success of our school system.
Meanwhile, Director Willoughby presented his monthly report on personnel to the board. Those employed since last month are Shelby Mulloy, Amie Buchanan, and Tammy Maynard as substitute cafeteria workers.
The DCHS Boys Soccer team was granted permission to attend an invitational soccer tournament at Franklin County High School in Winchester on Saturday April 6 through Sunday, April 7.
The FBLA Club of DCHS was given permission for an overnight trip to Chattanooga April 7-10. Approximately 25 students, one advisor, and one chaperone will attend the FBLA State Leadership Conference. This is an annual trip for the club.
The board also voted to grant permission for FFA students to attend the State FFA Convention in Gatlinburg March 24-28.

40 year old Christopher Nicholas Orlando has heard from the Tennessee Board of Parole and the news for him isn’t good. He will have to spend at least three more years in prison.
Three members of the board have voted to deny parole for Orlando due to the seriousness of the offense and to reconsider the case in March, 2016.
Orlando is serving a 45 year prison sentence for facilitation of first degree murder in the death of 20 year old Joshua Murphy. Orlando is incarcerated at the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City, Tennessee.
A parole hearing was held for Orlando on Monday, March 4.
Murphy was shot and killed in a secluded area in the Laurel Hill Community at the end of Old Eagle Creek Road on Sunday, September 15, 2002. His body was discovered three days later. Officials said Orlando and a co-defendant, Melvin Turnbill suspected Murphy of stealing methamphetamine. Orlando was tried and convicted of the crime by a DeKalb County Criminal Court Jury in April, 2004.
Turnbill entered a guilty plea to facilitation to first-degree murder in September, 2003 and was given a 25-year sentence, of which he must serve at least 30 percent. Turnbill remains incarcerated at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Pikeville. His parole hearing is set for April, 2014.
While Orlando said he was sorry for the death of Murphy during the parole hearing, he denied being the triggerman in the shooting, blaming Turnbill for actually committing the murder.
The parole board members conducting the hearing, Chairman Charles Traughber and Richard Montgomery found Orlando less than forthcoming about his involvement in the crime.
Gary McKenzie, Deputy District Attorney, speaking on behalf of the victim’s family, also insisted that Orlando was not being candid with the board.
Board Members consider factors such as seriousness of the offense, time served, victim input, any programs the offender may have completed or disciplinary actions against the offender while incarcerated, etc..
In making this decision, the Board cited seriousness of the offense as the primary reason for their decision. Voting ends when the required number of matching votes have been cast – either to parole or not to parole. In this case, that was three votes of the seven-member board.

The DeKalb County Jail and Jail Annex have again met minimum standards for certification by the Tennessee Corrections Institute.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said the Tennessee Corrections Institute recently performed an inspection of the DeKalb County Jail and the DeKalb County Jail Annex.
In a letter to Sheriff Ray, TCI Executive Director Beth Ashe, wrote that “The inspection revealed that this facility meets all applicable minimum standards. This status shall be reported to the Board of Control at its next meeting. After approval from the Board of Control, you will receive a Certificate of Certification. You are to be congratulated for attaining this degree of professionalism in your organization,” wrote Ashe.
Detention Facility Specialist Joe Ferguson, in the report wrote that “On February 28, 2013 I inspected the DeKalb County Jail and Annex. With no apparent deficiencies found, I recommend continued certification for 2013”.
The DeKalb County Jail and Annex have a certified capacity of 102 beds.

Local judges and attorneys are delighted with the news that DeKalb County will remain part of the 13th Judicial District and that the district itself will be left intact under a consensus plan unveiled Monday by Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey.
“It is certainly gratifying that our voices were heard by those in authority including the Lieutenant Governor and our representatives and state senator,” said DeKalb County General Sessions and Juvenile Court Judge Bratten Cook, II who is also president of the local bar.
Under the plan, the 13th Judicial District will remain with no changes. The district includes Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and White Counties.
A previous plan given consideration would have included DeKalb County in a new eight county district with Coffee, Cannon, Warren, Smith, Jackson, Trousdale, and Macon.
“I certainly want to thank our State Senator Mae Beavers and State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver for their input and support of our position,” said Judge Cook. We had a great meeting with them recently and they were very responsive to our concerns about moving DeKalb County to a different judicial district,” said Judge Cook.
“I also want to thank all of the bar members here for working diligently to let the powers that be know that we are exactly where we need to be. That we did not need to be moved to another judicial district. That it would have wreaked havoc on our people having to travel perhaps all the way to Coffee county up to the Kentucky line. So as it stands we’re going to stay exactly where we are and keep the judges that we have,” he said.
“I certainly want to thank our judges for their support. It would have been a whole lot easier on them if they lost DeKalb County and picked up Van Buren County because there’s hardly any litigation that occurs in Van Buren County and there is quite a bit here. It just shows that our judges really consider DeKalb County as much home as they do their respective homes, which is primarily Putnam County for them although Judge Amy Hollars is from Overton County. She, Judge John Maddux, Judge Ronald Thurman, Judge David Patterson, and Judge Leon Burns, Jr. all worked diligently to keep DeKalb County with the 13th Judicial District. I certainly want to thank them,” said Judge Cook
“We, the lawyers are the winners, but the real winners are the people of DeKalb County because we have absolutely the best judges in the state and all you have to do is go to another judicial district and you’ll find that out,” said Judge Cook. ” The people of DeKalb County are clearly the winners in this. I noticed there are a few districts on the proposed map that have been changed. Perhaps those places had problems. I don’t know. All I know is we didn’t have one,” he said.
The legislation adopting the plan must be approved by both the State House and Senate and signed by the Governor.