Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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Receiving funding for construction improvements from a 2005 bond referendum, the school system was allotted $7 million. Combining the primary and high school projects, school officials awarded a $5.2 million bid to Monroe-based Monteith Construction to save costs, as opposed to having separate projects.
TCS Assistant Superintendent Keith Tobin said the school projects are currently on schedule. The school system, however, has run into some unexpected costs, including a new roof at the high school administration building and an extra parking lot at the primary school. In addition, problems with asbestos has caused the school system to spend funds it wouldn’t ordinarily spend. The project is set to be finished by the end of the month.
Improvements at the primary school include adding 11 classrooms, a computer lab, as well as two multi-purpose rooms. The new section at the school will allow the third grade class to relocate from Liberty Drive.
At the high school, there will be the addition of two state-of-the-art labs, which will also be completed by the end of March. The high school will also have a new media center, as well as another four science classrooms, which will be remodeled and outfitted with the latest technology.
“We are really updating what we had,” Tobin said. “This is going to be a big plus for us.”
Tobin expressed gratitude for the commissioners’ help with the projects. The school system has approximately $1.1 million in it’s budget for future construction needs.
“The county commissioners have been really good to us over the past three or four years,” he said. “Within the last four years, we have received about $12 million to help our school construction. We want to take care of our children, so we will be back to ask for some more money.”
In other business:
• Commissioners approved $970,484 for a leachate storage tank, which is required by law, to be located at the Davidson County Landfill.
• Commissioner Billy Joe Kepley updated his fellow board members on N.C. DOT issues, including the possibility of toll bridge being located in Davidson County. After Kepley was asked by N.C. Board of Transportation member Nancy Dunn to poll the commissioners, he received nothing but opposition Tuesday night.
Staff Writer Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 231, or ignasiak@tvilletimes.com.