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School leaders OK preliminary plans for new SMHS classrooms

By Lynn Hotaling
Jackson County school officials Monday (June 26) approved plans for the addition of vocational classrooms at Smoky Mountain High School.

Architect John Cort of Asheville unveiled preliminary plans for a two-story, 18,000-square-foot addition to the high school's current vocational building. Once the addition is complete, the existing vocational space in D Building will be renovated.

The vocational addition is part of Phase I of renovations at SMHS. Jackson County commissioners earmarked some $5 million for improvements to the 40-year-old school, which are projected to occur in three phases. Cort expects the vocational addition to be completed in time for the 2001 opening of school.

One potential problem, Cort said, is that the property line for the SMHS campus goes through the center of the planned addition. The remaining land needed is owned by the Board of Education but is part of the Fairview campus.

Boundaries may have to be adjusted to satisfy bank requirements since title to the SMHS campus was transferred to county commissioners as collateral to secure the loan. If an adjustment is required, Cort suggested the centerline of the road that separates the two schools.

In addition to new vocational classrooms and labs, the new workforce development center will contain restrooms for both faculty and students, offices and an elevator that will provide handicap access to both the old and new portions of D Building. A corridor will be added to connect the new structure to the existing building.

A larger-capacity chiller will be installed in the new building, Cort said, so it can be used to cool the existing D Building as well. The current chiller for D Building is "20 years old and on its last legs," Cort said.

A four-pipe heating and cooling system will be installed and will eventually serve both the old and new parts of D Building. Because the building and its planned addition are too far away to heat with underground steam, it will be cheaper to buy a boiler for both, Cort said.

The new building will be of masonry construction with steel bar joists and framing. It will have what Scott Korkland of Cort's firm termed a "low-slope" roof with a center drain. Such a roof appears almost flat but has a slight slope built in, Korkland said. The addition will be about a foot taller than the existing D Building.

Cort expects to have more complete plans ready for the board's approval next month.

In other business Monday, school board members, on the recommendation of their superintendent, postponed a decision on the matter of teacher supplements until final state and federal budgets are in hand.

"My recommendation is to take the matter under advisement," Burrell said. "To do anything at this meeting would be ill-advised and premature."

Teacher spokesman Marsha Cameron of Cullowhee Valley School asked board members to tie any supplement to a percentage of salary rather that making it a flat rate of $100 per teacher as was suggested previously.

"I know you've been discussing an across-the-board supplement, but a percentage would be better - even if it's a fraction of a percent," she said.

Also Monday:

- Board members unanimously elected current member James Roper to fill the school board slot vacated by Kenny Nicholson when he agreed to return as principal at Smoky Mountain High. Nicholson, who ran unopposed and was elected to the District 3 seat, was slated to join the school board in July. Roper, who has held that seat for the past eight years, chose not to seek a third term.

- A $31.1 million budget was approved. In addition to projected federal and state funds, the budget includes an appropriation of $4.3 million from county commissioners. Also, commissioners allocated $233,000 for elementary school technology upgrades and $500,000 towards capital outlay.

- Construction coordinator Clarence Hubbell reported that progress has been steady on all current building projects. The field house at SMHS is virtually completed and will be ready for use this fall, he said.

Classroom additions at Smokey Mountain and Fairview elementary schools are proceeding on schedule and should be ready for occupancy when school starts this fall. Fairview's new building is slightly farther along than Smokey Mountain's, he said, because it was started a few weeks earlier.

Three masonry crews are working at Scotts Creek's new school, Hubbell said, and the roof should go on the classroom portion in mid-July.

Plans are complete for an eight-classroom addition to house Blue Ridge's high school students, Hubbell said, and that project will be advertised for bids next week. Blue Ridge's new building will join the school at the existing vocational building and will include a commons area and a high school computer lab.

- Board members approved a workforce development plan submitted by Arlin Middleton, vocational director. The approved plan will enable Middleton to apply for federal funds already set aside for such programs throughout North Carolina.

- Chairman Martha Queen reported that residents of Jones Road, which is adjacent to the SMHS campus, have requested a meeting with the school board to discuss plans to create a new entrance for the high school. Plans call for that meeting to be part of the board's Monday, July 31, session. Queen said she hopes county commissioners and Department of Transportation officials will also be present.

- Board members approved several contracts for services required by the county's exceptional children's program, as well as a contract for psychological services for the academically gifted program.

- Turning to personnel, board members named Blue Ridge teacher Roy Douthitt to succeed Steve Jones as assistant principal at the K-12 school. Jones was transferred to the same position at Scotts Creek last month.

Also, the board approved the retirement of Cullowhee Valley Principal Ron Yount one year from now and will allow him to work his last six months under a special contract, which will allow him to draw retirement funds.

Burrell received the board's approval to begin the search for a new maintenance director and to look at the possibility of combining that position with a human resource director.

Current maintenance director Winston Reed resigned from the maintenance portion of his job but will continue as the school system's transportation director and driver's education teacher.

SMHS English teacher Tinnie Salzano was named part-time AIG coordinator. Salzano will take over the administration of the academically gifted program from the retiring Linda Griffiths and will continue to teach, said Burrell.

In other personnel action, board members employed the following: Stephen Harrison, art teacher, Cullowhee Valley; Sabrina Harburn, fifth grade, and Renee Stillwell and Kristin Savery, sixth grade, all at Fairview; and Marsha LaFontaine, one-on-one assistant, Blue Ridge summer program.

Board members approved the transfer of Pam Hyatt from Scotts Creek to the Comprehensive School of Alternatives, and of Chris Ray from Blue Ridge to physical education teacher at Scotts Creek.

Resignations were accepted from: Eileen Benjamin, exceptional children, and Kimberly Novak, science teacher, both at Blue Ridge; Jean Tilley, part-time maintenance, SMHS; Nancy Morgan, accounting clerk, central office; and Amy Hoyle (retirement), teacher assistant at Cullowhee Valley.

The school board will meet twice in July. Meetings will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 5, and Monday, July 31, at the school system's Central Office.

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