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Ground was broken Tuesday morning, Oct. 10 to begin the construction of a Rutherford County Schools (RCS) Operations Center. Leaders from the RCS and Rutherford County Government participated in the ground breaking ceremony held at the baseball field of the former R-S Central High School (and later Middle School).
RCS Chief Operating Officer Brad Teague said the groundbreaking for the center "was one of the happiest days of my career as the dream of a new RCS Operations Center will now become a reality."
"I am thankful to our county commissioners for funding this project through local capital improvement dollars, and for understanding the need for this new facility," Teague continued. "Our maintenance, school health, school nutrition, technology, and transportation departments are vital to the safe and efficient operations of our schools each day. These dedicated employees play an important role in providing the best possible education for the students of Rutherford County Schools, and this new facility will only enhance this work."
The Operations Center will include a new transportation department, and repurposing other parts of the older campus for other departments.
County Commission Chairman Bryan King said, "When it was identified that a modern operations center was a critical capital need to improve the efficiencies and safety of our school system operations for our school team members, staff, and students, many people came together as a team to help develop the vision, plan, and the process for this project."
He said it is an investment for Rutherford County and a great day for Rutherford County Schools and the county.
The Operations Center will be funded by the county through a fund that is supported by local sales tax dollars, not local property taxes. The project was originally funded at $15 million. The low bid came in higher than expected and during the summer, Commissioners approved an additional $1.132 million.
The transportation portion of the project will include permanent bus parking at the location as well as mobile lifts.
The maintenance department will be in the repurposed former gym and classroom building. It will include new coolers and freezers, which will be utilized when there are power outages at a school.
Beam Construction and LS3P are working on this project. The overall Operations Center project is expected to take a year to complete.
