Nearly a third of contingency funds for the new Franklin High School have been spent already, according to County Manager Warren Cabe.
LS3P Architect Emily Kite presented a virtual walkthrough on Oct. 29 for the Macon County Board of Education and the Board of Commissioners, with Carroll Daniel Construction representatives present. Kite stressed this was normal for projects of this size and this is what contingency funds are for – to ensure builders can adapt to fluctuating prices and unexpected challenges in the process of construction.
Of the existing $5 million set aside for contingency funds, $1,631,956.72 or 32.6% has been spent to date, Cabe said. The contingency funds were part of the $122 million contract for the new high school, which is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 school year. Cabe said the cost of construction will not exceed $122 million, while total costs are currently budgeted at $140.5 million.
School board members have been engaged in conversations about building materials and methods to conserve funds and ensure the project proceeds within budget.
One such conversation on Oct. 29 centered around flooring choices at the school building. According to LS3P Associates architect Emily Kite, the board has narrowed its decision down to three flooring types. “Texas Granite,” a type of vinyl tile, has been chosen for hallways and corridors at the school and “Kinetex” was chosen for classrooms. Both materials have long lifespans appropriate to the heavy wear of use in schools.
The board must choose between lining “wet” classrooms (art, nursing, foods, science, some Career and Technical Education classes) with Texas Granite or MCT, a cheaper linoleum tile.
Kite said using Texas Granite would draw approximately $220,000 extra from contingency, while MCT would only use $90,000 in contingency. Board members, builders and director of plant operations Tracy Tallent expressed concern over the lesser durability of MCT tile, and Kite said the tile would likely have to be replaced sooner.
“The challenges the districts in North Carolina face in getting enough money to keep up with maintenance and replacement over time has always been a challenge and a burden in most districts,” Kite said. “Finding products that you’re not going to need to make an ask in 15 years to replace flooring feels like a prudent choice.”
The board agreed to use Texas Granite and Kinetex but decided to wait until later to make a final decision on the flooring to use for wet classrooms.
The board requested the contractors provide a budget that accounts for the various cost-saving decisions made by the board so they can see where cutting some design features can give them the ability to make different investments. For example, board member Hilary Wilkes wanted to see savings for an earlier decision to remove wooden baffles from some areas of the new school building.
“Some of the ceilings that we designed early on in the project … we’ve been asked to simplify and to refine some of those things which will result in some savings that will offset some of this,” Kite said. “I think when we look at the overall health of the contingency, I think there is room for the conversation about the Texas Granite because we have had sort of an ongoing ebb and flow of adds and credits to the contingency over the course of the project … I think we’re all feeling pretty comfortable with it where it is right now.”
Bringing in dirt
During the Oct. 19 meeting, Board of Education Chair Jim Breedlove asked Carroll Daniel representatives to address a “rumor” about the company bringing in dirt for construction.
Joey Cain, senior superintendent at Carroll Daniel, was not at the meeting, but responded to a request from The Franklin Press to confirm the company was bringing in dirt for construction.
Cain said an earlier version of the project expected to get all of the necessary dirt on-site throughout construction, but the plan changed with the recommendation of a third party engineer hired by the county, who said one of the slopes around the football stadium would need to be built out more than originally expected. Cain said this shift was necessary to proceed with construction and the additional costs were taken from contingency.
County Manager Warren Cabe said the contingency cost to fill the slope was $309,226.
Carroll Daniel’s Dave Gutwalt said at the meeting construction of the football field was still proceeding on-schedule.