• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

New preschool could cost $7.5 million; Elm Grove Park a proposed site

Posted at 7:29 pm October 20, 2015
By John Huotari 29 Comments

Shirley Raines Presentation to Oak Ridge City Council on Oct. 20, 2015

Shirley C. Raines, citizen representative and chair of a preschool planning committee, presents a report to Oak Ridge City Council and Board of Education members during a joint work session on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A new preschool for Oak Ridge Schools could cost $7.5 million, and Elm Grove Park in east Oak Ridge is among the sites where the new 20-classroom facility could be built, a planning committee said in a report released Tuesday.

A new preschool has been on the city’s wish list for years. The Joint City/Schools Preschool Planning Committee said the existing building on New York Avenue needs significant repairs, and renovations could cost about $7.5 million, or about as much as it would cost to construct a new facility.

The Preschool Planning Committee, which has nine members and three non-voting members, estimated that the new 40,000-square-foot facility could cost $6.3 million to build. There would be an additional $1.2 million in expenses for infrastructure, architects, and other fees, and an in-depth analysis by design and construction firms, pushing the total to $7.5 million, according to a summary presented by citizen representative and committee chair Shirley C. Raines during a joint Oak Ridge City Council and Board of Education work session on Tuesday.

Advertisement

Other sites considered by the committee included Pinewood Park in central Oak Ridge and the Ridge Greenhouse site in west Oak Ridge.

The Elm Grove Park site is a former school site, relatively flat, and has city-owned utilities, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said.

“This site is very good,” he said.

Next steps suggested in the report released Tuesday are a community review of Task Force findings and more questions for City Council and BOE members in November 2015 and consideration of resolutions in December. Construction could take 14 months and be complete by September 2017, according to the suggested timeline.

The City Council and BOE were discussing the report on Tuesday evening.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Elm Grove Park Oct. 21, 2015

Elm Grove Park in east Oak Ridge has been proposed as a site for a new preschool, and it’s considered the best potential location. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Education, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Slider Tagged With: Elm Grove Park, Joint City/Schools Preschool Planning Committee, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Schools, Pinewood Park, preschool, Ridge Greenhouse, Shirley C. Raines

Advertisements

 


Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Some of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require significant time to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

Comments

  1. Sam Hopwood says

    October 20, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    This should take top priority. The city can and must move quickly on this project. The Elm Grove site is perfect. Just DO IT!! If we can pave parking lots all over Jackson Square, surely we can do this. Maybe even add a Preschool splash pad.

    Reply
    • Joseph Lee says

      October 20, 2015 at 10:49 pm

      Sam, Elm Grove is perfect.
      Thank you.

      Reply
  2. Jeanne Hicks Powers says

    October 21, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    Wow.. at an overall cost of 187.50/ square foot , this will be 1 absolutely amazing preschool!….. and the the masses will decide to move here for sure!

    Reply
    • Dave Smith says

      October 21, 2015 at 6:31 pm

      Some thoughts:

      Government funded pre-K is attractive to a parent who can’t afford full-time daycare for her child.

      A significant percentage of the children in Oak Ridge who have been identified as those who would most benefit from pre-K are not enrolled. I would like to know the number of students enrolled at the ORPS who are not considered at-risk.

      The Vanderbilt study on the effectiveness of state-funded pre-K in Tennessee called into question whether pre-K is worth the cost. See
      http://www.marketplace.org/topics/education/study-questions-value-tennessee-preschool-program
      Since high-quality pre-K is significantly more expensive to operate than daycare, its long-term benefits for children should be unequivocal. I’ve seen no convincing evidence that is the case for ORS, but I’m open to any non-anecdotal evidence the Joint City/Schools Preschool Planning Committee or any other entity is willing to provide regarding results for at-risk Oak Ridge children.

      Reply
      • Matt Bailey says

        October 21, 2015 at 7:27 pm

        Dave, I didn’t attend the meeting, but I’m told that the lady who presented the case to the council is, I believe, the ex-President at Univ of Memphis, who was very familiar with the Vandy study, and apparently did an excellent job of discussing it. Perhaps someone could link that (those) comments. John, is that possible? I believe the study only discussed Memphis schools and apparently she is strongly in favor of this pre-K program.

        Reply
        • Sam Hopwood says

          October 21, 2015 at 9:21 pm

          The sky must be falling, Finally something we can agree on. Full speed ahead on this project.

          Reply
          • Matt Bailey says

            October 21, 2015 at 10:13 pm

            I checked with NASA. All is fine! 🙂

        • Dave Smith says

          October 22, 2015 at 12:31 am

          The cohort in the Vanderbilt study consisted of randomly selected at-risk preschoolers enrolled in state-funded pre-K programs across the entire state. If I remember correctly, there was an article in The Oak Ridger on the study that included reactions from officials in the Memphis school system. They want state-funded pre-K system-wide, regardless of its efficacy or lack thereof.
          It’s remarkable that many of the findings in the carefully crafted study surprised the researchers; they expected to prove their basic hypothesis–that pre-K was effective at giving disadvantaged preschoolers a boost that would persist through third grade. The data not only failed to support that hypothesis, it indicated that in some cases pre-K was detrimental to achievement.
          It could be that preschoolers need “instruction” that closely resembles playtime. If so, the state and ORS should consider putting money into high quality day care, which is potentially less expensive yet more effective at achieving the results we want for our children.

          Reply
          • Raymond Charles Kircher says

            October 22, 2015 at 10:22 am

            The Memphis school system is no longer. The charter was revoked and city schools are now under Shelby County Schools. I don’t how following a defunct school system is going to work.

      • Jeanne Hicks Powers says

        October 21, 2015 at 8:43 pm

        I agree with the value of PreK itself. I question the cost of a new preK building at 7.5 million.

        Reply
        • Sam Hopwood says

          October 21, 2015 at 9:18 pm

          You get what you pay for. There are no free lunch’s.

          Reply
          • Matt Bailey says

            October 21, 2015 at 10:16 pm

            Again, I think the presentation that was done outlined several existing buildings, including the new mall. With bathroom requirements, etc. the cost was more, I believe. Let’s hope that John can help us out to present the presentation. Or better yet, maybe the city themselves will put out her presentation!!

          • Jeanne Hicks Powers says

            October 22, 2015 at 8:11 am

            Not looking for a “free lunch”! Just questioning the cost of the physical plant itself. A preK is more than it’s building, of course. As a resident of OR, I’m certain I’m not the only one that thinks this projected cost is high. I realize it’s a starting point. Hope the cost can be significantly lowered.

          • Sam Hopwood says

            October 22, 2015 at 10:29 am

            A state of the art costs a little more, and if we are going to do it, let’s do it right. Word on the street is that CNS may chip in a few bucks. If so, good news. Let’s push on with this. Time’s a wasting!!

          • Jeanne Hicks Powers says

            October 22, 2015 at 3:57 pm

            I agree with pushing on with a plan but a plan that is at an acceptable cost to the city of OR and its residents. We do not need to be “state of the art” to do it right. We just need to do it right at the right cost.

        • Dave Smith says

          October 22, 2015 at 12:36 am

          What do you consider to be the “value” of pre-K? How is our return on investment being demonstrated?

          Reply
          • Jeanne Hicks Powers says

            October 22, 2015 at 8:12 am

            From work experience, I see the value every day.

  3. Tracy Stout Powers says

    October 22, 2015 at 1:44 am

    What’s wrong with the many empty buildings around town? The old Krogers, the old work out place on Emory Valley Rd., the shopping center where Lincoln’s was? The mall? Nothing else is happening there.

    Just gut ’em and tada! A preschool!

    Reply
    • Philip W Nipper says

      October 22, 2015 at 9:03 am

      Not that easy Tracy. “Tada” as you put it really does not happen too much in the real world. The major benefit to building a new facility at the former Elm Grove Elementary School location is that the property is city owned. This is not the case with the locations you suggested. Not to mention the cost factors involved with adapting your suggested standing buildings to meet all the requirements, such as various structural, HVAC, plumbing and electrical changes which would be needed in order to support the needs of a preschool. I think the best and most logical choice is to build a new facility on city owned land. It would in fact become a full circle event as I believe the first Head Start program in the city started at Elm Grove Elementary.

      Reply
      • Joseph Lee says

        October 22, 2015 at 10:37 am

        Mr. Nipper, well said, as usual. It will be interesting to hear from the negitrons as this topic devolves for them into another example of the end of days for Oak Ridge. I support moving forward with this project ASAP. Hold on, here we go. Thank you.

        Reply
        • Philip W Nipper says

          October 22, 2015 at 11:53 am

          Yes sir Mr. Lee me too. I believe we have gained all we can from the current building. It has served the community well for many years as an elementary school and administration building as well as a preschool. Now however, its time to move on and embrace the future.

          Reply
          • Joseph Lee says

            October 22, 2015 at 12:13 pm

            Speaking of the future, it will be here in a minute. Thanks again.

      • Tracy Stout Powers says

        October 22, 2015 at 4:56 pm

        Got it, thank you for your respectful response. I had completely forgotten that building was gone! Lol As for losing credibility points for suggesting a building that is no longer there, as Will stated, I disagree that my suggestion did that.

        Reply
  4. Kay Williamson says

    October 22, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    The Education Lottery fund has 3.5 billion available. Why on earth are the leadership of the county and Oak Ridge not securing the funding from the Lottery!! That is the very use the money is suppose to go for. Taxpayers should not have any burdens from this project.

    Reply
    • Will Smith says

      October 22, 2015 at 5:30 pm

      Why? Because under TN Code Ann. 49-6-105, the lottery funds would be used for the operation of preK programs, not for capital projects like buildings.

      Reply
      • Kay Williamson says

        October 23, 2015 at 1:37 am

        get that changed to add capital improvement. Laws are wrote and changed all the time.

        Reply
        • Will Smith says

          October 23, 2015 at 10:35 am

          A second piece of reality is that there is only $25 million available per year for preK from lottery funds. It’s very unlikely that can or will be increased since lottery money is primarily dedicated to higher ed scholarships and now the Tennessee Promise program. I don’t think that the State would ever give some 30% of their annual funding to one preK project. Not to mention the precedent such a grant would set. It just won’t happen.

          Reply
      • Kay Williamson says

        October 23, 2015 at 1:40 am

        thank you for telling me. I’m going to read up on it more.

        Reply
  5. Mike Mahathy says

    October 23, 2015 at 5:53 pm

    Because the lottery doesn’t pay for new buildings like this. How are things in Fayetteville?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Education News

Covenant Health donating land for Roane State health science center

Covenant Health is donating about 10 acres of land for Roane State Community College's new $75 million regional health science training center in west Knox County. The Knox Regional Health Science and Simulation … [Read More...]

School board approves aviation career path

The Oak Ridge school board on Monday unanimously approved an aviation career pathway that could eventually allow students to get a private pilot's license. The board also approved a contract extension for Superintendent … [Read More...]

Extreme Classroom Makeover applications due Jan. 31

The deadline to submit a video application is about one week away in a contest that awards $25,000 to improve STEM education in public schools in the region. ORAU's Extreme Classroom Makeover is open to third-grade to … [Read More...]

ORCSGirls resumes in-person classes in Oak Ridge, Maryville

Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls (ORCSGirls) is resuming their free in-person coding classes for girls in grades 5-10, a press release said. In March 2020, all classes were switched to be virtual events in response to … [Read More...]

Roane to Tech paves path for transfer students

A relatively new program called Roane to Tech allows students to transfer from Roane State Community College to Tennessee Tech University to complete their last two years of college, and it provides students additional … [Read More...]

More Education

More Government News

Residents discuss Dollar General in Marlow

A handful of Anderson County residents have expressed mixed opinions in government meetings about a reported proposal to build a Dollar General store next to Oliver Springs Highway in Marlow, but the Anderson County … [Read More...]

Read city manager’s retirement letter

This is a copy of the January 17 retirement letter from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to the seven Oak Ridge City Council members. Since August of 2010, I have been proud to serve the City of Oak Ridge as its … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge Public Library

Library restrooms will be renovated

The restrooms at the Oak Ridge Public Library will be renovated starting February 1. The renovations are expected to be completed by June 1. The renovations will result in increased accessibility under Americans … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators resumes Monday

Breakfast with the Legislators begins this year on Monday. The monthly breakfasts are scheduled each year while the Tennessee General Assembly is in session. They are hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, … [Read More...]

Former AC Commissioner Hitchcock dies

Note: This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. Harry "Whitey" Hitchcock, who represented part of Oak Ridge in three terms on Anderson County Commission, died January 10. A former teacher, he was 76. Hitchcock served on … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • Obituaries: Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2023
  • Basketball: Wildcats beat West in rematch
  • Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district
  • Obituaries: Jan. 23-27, 2023
  • Speakers mostly support TRISO-X fuel facility at meeting
  • UPF construction could cost more, take longer
  • Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center
  • One person seriously injured in Wednesday crash
  • Oak Ridge EM prepared for cold weather to prevent failures
  • Covenant Health donating land for Roane State health science center

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today