Watch now: Kingsport schools to put another $405,000 in the former Sullivan North High

KINGSPORT — Kingsport City School officials have decided to move ahead with a more than $400,000 heating and air conditioning project at the gym of the former Sullivan North High School.The greater gym area is to be known as the Tribe Athletic Complex, or TAC.The Board of Education voted 5-0 at its Tuesday night meeting to approve Alternate Bid No. 5 for $405,000 for an "energy recovery unit" or HVAC unit for the downstairs area near the gym, which for the next three years or so may be home to Dobyns-Bennett High School basketball and other sports.The rest of the renovation has HVAC in the original bid. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen also will have to approve awarding the alternate bid.Chief Finance Officer David Frye told the board that although KCS officials initially balked at the cost of the purchase and installation of the unit, going ahead and having Preston Construction buy and install it was the prudent way to proceed.The vote changes the total spent on the complex from $2,842,300 already approved to a new total of $3,247,300, to be funded from the Sullivan North Renovation Project Fund.Frye said the vote means the school system will get a turn-key job with a warranty. He also said if the project isn't approved in the next few weeks, the company is changing the equipment offering to a newer but more expensive offering.However, answering a question from school board member Brandon Fletcher, Frye said the component parts for the equipment will be available for the foreseeable future even though a new unit is being introduced.That unit is not essential in using the gym for basketball games starting in mid-December, and the area has had the heating system in place since the building opened in 1980. The city acquired the building from Sullivan County for $20 million in 2017 with its share of school capital bond funds and took possession in summer 2021.On a related matter, Interim Kingsport Superintendent Chris Hampton said that the school system is awaiting a final report on how to remediate the Buck Van Huss Dome at Dobyns-Bennett High School. The dome is no longer being used because of concerns over its structural integrity.The more than 50-year-old dome is supported by wood that officials said has been compromised by years of temperature and humidity variations. School officials have indicated it may take three years to fix.In addition, he said a facilities study update also is not yet ready, a document that is to give the board a potential game plan for a new elementary school or schools needed for growth areas.It also will help the board decide whether to go forward with temporarily halted plans to convert the former North High into Sevier Middle School. Renovation bids for the project came in higher than projected.He said the firm doing the work is seeking more information from the city's planning officials before finalizing the facilities report.In other action not previously reported:• The board approved a $54,859.41 Resilient School Communities Grant from the Tennessee Department of Education. The one-time money is to be used for professional development focused on student social-emotional development, restorative practices in discipline and trauma-informed care.• Hampton thanked the Administrative Support Center staff for their help in his first seven days as the city's interim superintendent, adding that he has been in seven schools in the system and plans to visit seven more in the next week."It's very beneficial for someone in mostly secondary education to view the foundation," Hampton said, adding that he particularly enjoyed doing the Kennedy Elementary Coyotes howl while visiting there.• Hampton reported that ASC officials all have been briefed on the new TISA, or Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, which starting in 2023-24 will replace the more than 30-year-old Basic Education Program funding model in the state.• The board formally honored the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce on its 75th anniversary, thanking the chamber for supporting education efforts overall and the city school system in particular.