Updated 5/12/20

The Giles County Board of Education has chosen three companies to make presentations as how the companies would upgrade and renovate Giles County schools.
The three companies, chosen from eight who submitted requests for qualifications, are Energy Savings Group (ESG), Renaissance Group and Wold/HFR Design.
During a discussion, School Board Chairman Richie Brewer expressed frustration with the process, saying that it is the school board’s responsibility to choose the details of the project and what company will do the work, and the county commission’s responsibility to fund it.
Getting the school buildings up to standards should be the first priority with the possibility of building new school buildings coming later, Brewer said.
The school board made the RFQ after a Giles County Commission committee refused to move forward a proposal from ESG to do approximately $10 million in upgrades and renovations mostly to Giles County High School and Bridgeforth Middle School, with some air quality work to be done at the county’s six other schools.
Commissioners against the proposal questioned why one company was chosen with no bidding or request for qualifications process
Before the board members nominated companies, Director of Schools Vickie Beard was asked for her opinion.
“Being director of schools I want to be a good steward of taxpayers’ money, and knowing we have $60,000 tied up with ESG I just feel like that is a waste if we don’t do some type of project with that company,” Beard said.
ESG Group, Renaissance Group and Wold/HFR Design were nominated and received the full support of the board as the three companies that will make presentations.
One of those presentations will take place at a work session on May 21st.