Two grants, mowing bids, and audio recording equipment appeared on the special called meeting of the Union County Board of Education last month.
Spring has arrived, the grass is growing and the former mowing contractor has gone out of business.
The Central Finance Purchasing Agent bid out a new contract that was much the same as the previous one. But the BOE requested that the contract only be for a partial calendar year and asked if a better use of funds would be to add one or two maintenance employees to mow.
Finance director said that all bids could be rejected and the contract could be rebid, but the mowing would be delayed. Andrew Reed moved to recommend that the contract have a 90-day termination notice by convenience and that Mary Ann Stackhouse, the BOE lawyer, review the contract.
Jessica Buck provided the second to the motion and the recommendation was approved. The purchasing agent makes the final bid award. Berry’s Lawn Service was the low bid at $100,960.
The board asked numerous questions to ensure that the Clean Bus Grant would not include hidden or unforseen costs. The grant will provide two electric school buses to replace the two oldest buses in the fleet.
Using ESSER funds, the school system would need to install two charging stations which will be located in the high school parking lot. The buses will be delivered after the charging stations are operational.
The bus batteries have an extended warranty for 15 years or 200,000 miles or for the life of the bus under Tennessee Law. Currently the system is paying a penalty use fee for the two oldest buses. The cost of maintaining the electric buses would be a fraction of the maintenance cost of the diesel buses.
If after 5 years, the system decides the buses are not what was expected, the buses can be sold. Bledsoe County has experienced a major decrease in maintenance costs during the five months it has used electric buses. The board approved the Clean Bus Grant on a motion by Andrew Reed and Marty Gibbs. The charging station and buses are expected this summer.
Another grant known as Renewing America’s Schools Grant was declined by the board. Johnson Controls has worked for several years under an energy grant that has upgraded most of the lighting in the schools as well as some HVAC systems. But Johnson Controls failed to convince board members to enter into another 15-year contract that would leverage a $4M grant to $5M but at an additional cost.
The current contract is for $200,000 annually through 2029. But the BOE could not see a benefit in entering into a new agreement. So, the system will determine how to meet maintenance requirements on the remaining energy related equipment at LES, SCES, and UCHS.
As for the audio recording equipment, the technology department is researching the best options. No action was taken at this meeting.
On April 3, the BOE and County Commission will again have a joint session on funding the new middle school as well as other county projects in the large courtroom at 6 p.m. The next regular meeting will be on Thursday, April 13.