School Construction Report

Feb. 10, 2005

Goal 2008: WCPSS is committed to academic excellence. By 2008, 95 percent of students in grades 3 through 12 will be at or above grade level as measured by the State of North Carolina End-of-Grade or Course tests, and all student groups will demonstrate high growth.


COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DELAY ACTION ON LEASE
At its Feb. 7 meeting, the Wake County Commissioners delayed action on the Board of Education resolution for lease of property at the Dubois Center in Wake Forest as a site for a temporary modular school campus. After hearing a presentation from Associate Superintendent Don Haydon, commissioners said they would like to discuss alternative locations for the school. The commissioners and board have a meeting scheduled for Monday, Feb. 14.

BOARD DISCUSSES LOCATING SCHOOL AT DUBOIS CENTER
At its Feb. 1 meeting, the Board of Education heard Wake County school administrators explain the benefits of placing a modular school at the DuBois Center campus in Wake Forest.

Dramatic increases in student enrollment led the school system to prepare for the opening of three temporary modular schools for 2005-06. One of those campuses is proposed to be located at the Dubois Center. As part of the growth management proposal for 2005-06, the school system has recommended assigning 477 children to the Forest Pines Drive Elementary School at the Dubois Center to provide relief to crowded schools

Associate Superintendent Don Haydon traced the history of the decisions that led school officials to recommend opening the modular school at the Dubois Center. Dr. Ramey Beavers discussed the Growth Management Office's recommendation for assigning students to the school to provide relief to crowding at Wakefield, Wildwood Forest, Wake Forest, Fox Road and Jones Dairy elementary schools. Beavers said these students would move to their completed school on Forest Pines Drive in the Wakefield community in 2007-08. Clint Jobe of the Real Estate Office reviewed the sites that were considered leading up to the selection of the Dubois Center. Assistant Superintendent Mike Burriss said one of the complicating factors is getting site and building approvals through local government in time to have the school in place at the first of August. Burriss noted proposed alternative sites would require costly site development to match the cleared, level property on a street grid that currently exists at the Dubois Center. He estimated it would cost an additional $600,000 to prepare a Queensland Road site proposed as an alternative.

Parents in the Wakefield subdivision have expressed concerns about the temporary assignment to the Wake Forest location. Wakefield developers recently proposed two tracts of land as alternative locations for the temporary modular campus.

School administrators said the locations wouldn't be suitable for schools and couldn't fit into the schedule for land preparation and government permitting required. The administrators say there would be additional cost for making the tracts suitable for a school.

Given the school administrators explanations, the Board of Education agreed the Dubois Center property was the most suitable site for the temporary modular school.

BOARD OF EDUCATION RECEIVES PROPOSED SCHOOL NAMES
At its Feb. 1 meeting, the Board of Education received as information proposed names for three new elementary schools. School administrators proposed the name:

At its Jan. 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved the name for Hedingham Middle School. The board acquired a 7.7-acre tract of land and two buildings on Nov. 5, 2004. The property fronts US 64 East with a secondary entrance off Freedom Drive. The larger building will be renovated for use as the new alternative middle school.

BOARD APPROVES SITE SET-UP OF MOBILE CLASSROOM UNITS
At its Feb 1 meeting, the Board of Education awarded a single-prime contract to C. Blake Lewis in the amount of $461,912.00 for the site set-up of 25 mobile classroom units, Package D-1. The project is funded by the PLAN 2004 Mobile Classrooms-Growth Project.

BOARD AWARDS LEESVILLE ROAD MIDDLE ROOF REPLACEMENT
At its Feb. 1 meeting, the Board of Education awarded a single-prime contract to Owens Roofing, Inc. in the amount of $456,944 for the roof replacement at Leesville Road Middle School. The project is funded in the re-roofing component of the PLAN 2004 School Building Program.

BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES LEASE RESOLUTION AT DUBOIS CENTER
At its Jan. 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved a resolution to the Wake County Board of Commissioners for a three-year lease for use of property at the Dubois Center in Wake Forest. WCPSS will lease approximately 6.22 acres from the National Alumni Association of Dubois High School for a modular school complex. The lease term is three years beginning Feb. 1, 2005. The Board of Education may exercise up to three one-year periods beyond the initial lease term with lease payments increasing by 5 percent annually. If the school system uses the Dubois Center gymnasium, the annual lease cost will be $43,400 per year, $26,000 of which will be paid in the form of a credit against a Note of Dubois to the Board of Education. If the gymnasium is not used, the lease cost will be $36,000 per year, $26,000 of which will be paid in the form of a credit against a Note of Dubois to the Board of Education.

BOARD APPROVES RESOLUTION FOR SCHOOL BUILDING FUNDING
At its Jan. 18 meeting, the Board of Education approved a quarterly resolution to the Wake County Commissioners requesting release of the next stage of funds for the PLAN 2004 School Building Program. Total of this appropriation request is $28,167,937. Appropriations for PLAN 2004 to date total $276,618,612. This request will provide funding for design and construction at various PLAN 2004 projects, in accordance with the master schedule in addition to funding commissioning for projects recently bid.

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The School Construction Report is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public School System. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.

Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611

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