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School board to seek damages
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Lacy Garrison
Updated: Jan 31, 2012, 11:33 PM
Published: Feb 1, 2012, 12:33 AM

It is not an issue of whether the Warren County School Board will seek damages against Midstate Construction, the builders of Dibrell School, but instead the question is when and how much.
“We’re talking about damages here,” said School Board member Bill Zechman upon learning the construction of Dibrell School was 74 days past contract as of last week with the clock still ticking.
During the meeting, Architect Paul McCall of Red Chair Architects said it would be up to the board as to what damages to seek. The question, McCall noted, is how much the board can demand. The contract called for $500 per day in penalties for every day over the promised completion date.
“There was hardship,” McCall noted, pointing to the school having to operate in less than ideal conditions when it was thought the school would be ready for the 2011-12 school year but instead is still under construction. “There’s still a punch list to complete.”
At question before the board is how far back they can recover damages. While approaching 80 days beyond contract with things still to do to be completely finished with the school, there was a certificate of occupancy issued for the school on Dec. 7. However, Board Chairman Scott Holmes pointed out they did not actually begin using most of the school until Jan. 3, just after the Christmas holiday. Holmes questioned why the board could not go after damages up until completion of the school since they school is still technically not completely useable for its stated purpose, that being the education of students.
“They are the ones who wasted the time,” Holmes said of contractors and subcontractors who fell behind, claiming bad weather had slowed them down, a claim the board is not buying with Holmes specifically pointing to an access road to the new portion of the school which contractors claim has not been finished due to recent rainy conditions. “It wasn’t raining in October. They could have put it in then.”
The board asked legal council Robin Phillips to look into what the board can do in the way of collecting damages from the contractors concerning the Dibrell School. Phillips is supposed to render a legal opinion to the board during the February meeting.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community