BOE faced with dilemma in stalled JES Gym project

At one point, raised voices filled the upper court room

JACKSBORO, TN. (WLAF)- Delays have plagued the Jacksboro Elementary School gym project. As a result, the gym has been rendered unusable and is damaged due to a hole in a wall. Last night, the Campbell County Board of Education decided to take action at its October monthly meeting. This decision came after all companies involved in the project were called on the carpet.

GCE Construction, the company responsible for the project, its one-time subcontractor Goddard Industries, LLC and Lewis Group Architects were all present as one question loomed over the room- “When will the gym be finished?”

“Where are we at,” asked BOE Chairman Jeffrey Miller. “There is a hole in the wall that has been there over a year.”

From that point, the three groups tasked with the project cited delays due to obtaining the steel needed for the project, tariffs, fire marshal edicts, lack of communication, safety concerns all the while tossing accusations at the others. At one point, raised voices filled the upper court room.

Goddard Industries, LLC. staff said they were recently fired by GCE. They also said they were still owed a payment of around $6,000. GCE disputed that claim offering records to validate its claim.

The end date for the contract is Oct. 13. Everyone in the room agreed the gym would not be completed by then.

Added to the mix was damage to the gym floor caused by moisture. GCE alleged it happened following a plumbing issue at the school. But Stan Marlow, who is in charge of special projects for the county quickly disagreed. The plumbing issue had happened “two weeks ago”, and the damage predated that event.

BOE Attorney Dail Cantrell said the board needed to see these were separate issues and determine how to move forward. GCE offered to provide a temporary fix for the floor while not accepting blame for the damage. The company wanted to do this at no charge “to try to help the kids.”

Cantrell advised the board not to make a decision last night. He asked they consider if they think the project can be completed by Jan./Feb. 2026 and can it be finished with the remaining $125,000 left in the project budget. Also before the board was the water damaged gym floor. The insurance company had already denied paying for repairs leaving the BOE with making the decision as to whether a lawsuit for the damages would be filed.

An executive session was then called. The BOE take up these questions at its meeting later in the month.

(WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 10/1/2025-6AM)