Putnam School Board Secures Location For New School

The Putnam County School System has secured a location for a new school.

The board of education voted Monday night to purchase a 45-acre property on Lee Seminary Road for a new elementary school.

“This piece of property is in a great location, accessible to Cookeville utility, and it will also serve a region that needs a new elementary school in the near future,” Putnam County Schools Superintendent Jerry Boyd said.

The school system will purchase the property in southwest Cookeville for a total of $678,150.

Board member Dawn Fry said she’s looking forward to securing the location so the school system can prepare for the future.

“With so much growth in Putnam County we are  going to need more space for more students.  This property is South of I-40, so the location is ideal,” Fry said. “The board is looking forward to working with the County Commission in building a new elementary school.”

The board declined to purchase the same piece of property late last year because of concerns about soil condition, but Boyd said those concerns could be found on any piece of property in the region.

“Any piece of property we buy in this Highland Rim area is going to have some concerns about what’s going on in the sub soils,” Boyd said. “The concern is still there, but we just know when we develop the site there is certain things that we’re going to have to do to mitigate the risks.”

According to Boyd, the new school will serve families that are currently zoned for Parkview Elementary School.

“The decision about exactly what will become of Parkview is an ongoing discussion,” Boyd said. “What best fits the needs of the community and the long term needs of the school system, we will make that decision when the time come.”

Boyd said the next step in the process of building the new school will be meeting some additional conditions and finalizing the purchase by a mid September closing date.

“From that point, the next phase is continuing to connect with our commissioners and other stakeholders to identify the scope of the work that we need and funding for the project,” Boyd said. “When the funding is looking like it’s secure, the next step will be the design phase.”

The property purchase will be paid for out of school system’s fund balance.