Sullivan East projects range from press box to day care center

BLUFF CITY — Capital improvement and renovation projects abound at Sullivan East High School, thanks in part to a monetary donation from a former coach and teacher at that high school.And a roof repair is being done under warranty, with plans to end puddles of water in the hallways of the school.Underway projects also include a new football stadium press box to open this fall to a new day care center to open later, East High is undergoing or has undergone a varied series of facility improvements over the last three years.ALREADY DONE PROJECTSAmong already done projects are renovated science classrooms, turf on baseball, softball and football fields, new tennis courts and a new track facility. A new metal outfield fence for the baseball field also has been installed, and athletic facilities also got a new public address system."Now the school has added new athletic lighting, added a 'jumbotron' and digital scorers table with other upgrades to the gym (and) new fencing for the softball field," East Principal Andy Hare said in a recent news release.Also at the school already done is a new health science classroom in renovated space to house the Ballad Health Academy, which will begin at East in August.UNDERWAY PROJECTSCurrent renovations are underway of the football press box, culinary arts classroom and cosmetology classroom, all three of which will be finished for the start of the school year.Hare said the press box, mostly unrenovated since the late 1960s, is a two-level structure renovated with new flooring, lighting and access, as well as heating and cooling.In addition, this coming school year Sullivan East will be constructing the Little Patriots Learning Center for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years old. Opening of the daycare has not been decided yet, according to Hare. The center is to serve mostly children of school system employees but likely will have some slots open for the general public, as envisioned by the county school board. A similar center is planned to serve the central and western areas of the county, using planned grant money with plans to hire county students for work-based learning.MCKAMEY CONNECTIONThe baseball improvements were funded in part by a donation from John McKamey of Piney Flats, a Mary Hughes High School student and baseball player who became a teacher and coach at East.The school opened in in 1968, and the field was eventually named for McKamey who served as baseball coach there for 19 years starting in 1968.The field was rededicated for him in May of 2023 after the turf installation, about seven months before his death, and he attended the ceremony.William H. "John" McKamey, who became a county commissioner and later county executive, donated money for the baseball turf that was supplemented by other donations. Hare said money left over from those donations was spent on other athletic projects, with approval of the County Commission. McKamey died Dec. 20, 2023, at 85."He's been gone a couple of years, but he's still making positive contributions," Hare said of McKamey.The former teacher and coach served as a county commissioner from 1975 to 1990, and then was elected to a four-year county executive term in 1990. He returned to the commission to serve from 2000 to 2010. County executive was the the forerunner of county mayor.ROOFING ALSO UNDERWAYYet another project underway at the school is repairs to the roof, being done under warranty that is about 10 years in to a 30-year term.The leaky roof, installed in 2015, has been a thorn in the side of the school for years, which some, including school board member Michael Hughes who attended school there, saying leaks go back to the early 1970s."It's moving right along," Hare said of the construction, with the exception of some recent rain delays."They're at the mercy of mother nature," Hare said. "They're going to get that project finished."EAST BACKGROUNDThe school, on Weaver Pike near Bristol, was opened in 1968 along with Sullivan Central High, now a middle school. With a consolidation of schools elsewhere in the county, East High and West Ridge High, which opened in 2021, are the only two high schools in Sullivan County Schools.Sullivan North, South and Central merged to form West Ridge.