High school land option eyed
By Kathi Keys
Staff Writer, The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO - The Randolph County Board of Education agreed Monday night
to proceed with an option to purchase a 100-acre high school site and seek
financial assistance from the county to start work on the new facility.
The board actions relate to construction of the county's fifth high school
in northeastern Randolph so it can open in August 2007. The latest estimate
puts the cost at $27,726,985.
The property is located on the north side of Mack Lineberry Road, near
N.C. 22, in the Lineberry area north of Grays Chapel. According to Randolph
County tax records, the parcel is currently owned by Carol Cheek York of
Asheboro.
The school board agreed to enter into negotiations with the property
owner for an option to purchase the site, pending soil testing results.
Board Attorney Bob Wilhoit and Bob Scherer, county schools' executive
director of facilities and construction, are scheduled to meet with the
property owner today to discuss the option cost.
Katherine Peele of the LS3P Boney architectural firm told the board the
Yorks have agreed to sell the land for $550,000.
The architect has been working with Scherer for the past several months
on locating a suitable site.
"Its location, accessibility and the ability to develop the site
makes it a good choice," she said.
Scherer agreed and said the search was narrowed to four tracts.
"Out of the four, this is the best," he said.
Other sites were in the vicinity of Melanchton which is east of the selected
tract.
Secondly, the board agreed to ask the Randolph County Board of Commissioners,
at its next regular meeting on Jan. 3, for funding assistance for the high
school project.
"We still hold out hope to open in the 2007 time frame," Randolph
Schools Superintendent Dr. Bob McRae said about the August opening that
year.
This could be accomplished, according to Fields, by a two-phase construction
schedule.
The first phase would involve the high school design, site preparation
and grading and the structural steel package. The design phase could start
as early as January 2005 and bids for the initial work secured over the
summer. Site work would begin in September.
The second phase would cover the remainder of the project and start in
January 2006 when the county will have financing capability for any future
school projects.
At a Dec. 9 joint meeting between the county commissioners and school
board, the possibility of Certificates of Participation (COPS) for school
construction financing was raised by at least one commissioner. This method
does not require voter approval and has been used in the past to finance
school projects.
In September the commissioners voted to proceed with a 2005 bond referendum
to let voters decide on the county school's fifth high school project, along
with requests from Asheboro City Schools and Randolph Community College.
"I hope on Jan. 3 this will be clarified," McRae said.
He also pointed out that delaying construction bidding another year could
cost the county an extra $1.5 million in the high school's cost.
If COPS are pursued, McRae said $4.2 million would be necessary to cover
this first phase work until January 2006. If a bond referendum is held,
then the school system would seek a lesser amount for the preliminary work.
The school board's two newest members, Gary Cook and Janet Johnson, voted
with the other five members on both actions. They both were able to participate
in the joint meeting with commissioners before taking their oaths of office
Monday night at the start of the session.
On hand for the ceremony, during which re-elected board members Becky
Coltrane and Tommy McDonald also were sworn in, were former board member
Arnold Lanier who did not seek re-election and is now a county commissioner,
Randolph Sheriff Litchard Hurley and N.C. Sen. Jerry Tillman.
Following the board members' installation, LaVerne Williams was unanimously
re-elected chairman and Coltrane, vice chairman.
Monday night's session was the last for Marty Trotter, county schools'
departing finance officer. On Jan. 3, he will begin his new job with Moore
County Schools as that system's school business administrator. He will not
only oversee finance, but transportation, child nutrition, maintenance and
technology.
Dare Campbell, accounting supervisor who has been with the county schools
for some 25 years, was introduced Monday night as interim finance officer.
A highlight of the meeting, in addition to recognizing Southwestern Randolph
Middle School eighth-grader Chris Walbourn who designed the 2005 holiday
card design, was Eastern Randolph High School's presentation of their traditional
poinsettias which students have grown.
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