A plan to use the recent $62 million grant, $20 million in fund balance and a $72 million loan would pave the way for a new Franklin High School and a renovated Highlands School in the next two-plus years.
The Macon County Board of Commissioners heard financial updates on the FHS and Highlands School projects, and then voted on each. By a 3-2 vote, the commissioners approved starting a request for qualifications process to find a construction manager at risk for Franklin High School. And by a 5-0 vote, the commissioners approved authorizing negotiations for a construction manager at risk contract with Vannoy Construction for the Highlands School project.
According to LS3P, the FHS project design firm, the new estimated cost for the high school is $127,086,271. Of that, $97,608,825 would be for the new FHS building and demolition of current buildings, $12,560,217 for the stadium complex, $4,406,762 for cost escalation and the remaining $12,510,467 for professional fees, contingency, furniture, fixtures, equipment and instructional technology.
The Highlands School project combined what was known as the Highlands Middle School renovations and the Pre-K/Media Center project for $5,491,772. For this, $4,660,931 would be the cost of work and escalation. The remaining $830,841 would be for professional fees, owner/site contingency, furniture, fixtures, equipment and instructional technology.
The county already has $902,187 in N.C. Repair and Renovation Lottery funds for the Highlands Middle School part of the project, although it wasn’t included in the financial presentation.
According to Finance Director Lori Hall, the plan is for the county to take out a $72 million loan to fund both school projects. Hall said it’s better to ask for one big loan instead of two smaller loans, which would need Local Government Commission approval. Hall said after approval, the plan is to have the bond sale in July to have funds by Aug. 1.
With FHS and Highlands School a part of the capital improvement plan (see related story in today’s paper), Hall said it would be more financially beneficial to borrow the money upfront since they can put that money into a capital reserve and earn interest before payments.
No construction timetable for either project was presented.
Franklin High School
LS3P senior project manager Emily Kite said the full FHS construction documents are “60% to 70%” done and bidding would be sometime between April and June.
Commissioner Josh Young said he’s had some unpleasant conversations regarding the $127 million estimate and understands the public gasping at that price tag. In October 2022, the price tag was $118 million, then in February 2023, after reducing redundancies, the project was around $100 million.
However, Young said, this was before the project added 9,000 square feet of Bartram Academy, which necessitated adding seven more classrooms plus administrative space. Another factor was adding the elevated walking track at the gym, plus 15 months of construction cost escalation.
In the end, Young said the school liaison committee recommended issuing the request for qualifications. Kite said the more time a contractor has to look at the plans, the better it is for the project and the potential cost savings. Also, with the construction manager at risk process, the project would be 100% finished on time with a guaranteed maximum price unless the project scope changes.
After the FHS presentation, Commissioner John Shearl said he’s been “bombarded” by people who disagree with building a new high school on the current site but are in favor of a new FHS building.
“Real people in the community…are not satisfied,” Shearl said.
Shearl proposed putting the FHS project on the November General Election ballot. Shearl later said it was his campaign promise not to spend tens of millions of dollars without the final say of the voters, and a referendum is “a matter of doing it right.”
Board Chair Gary Shields, who was FHS principal for 21 years, spoke on his experience back in 1975, hearing the quote that when relevance is absent from the curriculum, kids don’t want to learn.
“I don’t see us going in reverse, I see us going forward,” Shields said.
Commissioner Danny Antoine felt like the project needed to be done now after 30 years of talking, and that 100% of his supporters are in favor.
“These kids need a new school,” Antoine said. “I don’t see why it needs to be kicked down the road.”
Young said the current site is like a unicorn, referencing how hard it was to find another site. Young said he’d love to find another location for FHS, but those discussions have already happened.
Commissioner Paul Higdon said the average age of the FHS buildings is 49 years old. Comparing those to his 40-year-old house, Higdon said it’s frustrating their predecessors couldn’t build something with a lifespan greater than 40 years.
Higdon pivoted to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s annual School Report Card and asked what’s the return on investment and asked for a discussion on those school grades.
“November, that’s not far away,” Higdon said about Shearl’s referendum idea. Higdon later asked if they were getting engrossed in a “new shiny building.”
Later, Antoine pointed out that student learning significantly declined during COVID-19 shutdowns and that he’s still seeing learning loss ramifications in his karate school students.
Young said in five public hearings he’s been to about FHS, there were “maybe two or three people” against the project and said he’s listening to his constituents, who are in favor.
Late in the discussion, Shields told the story of a World War II veteran not being able to use the bathrooms in the fine arts center because of a lack of accessibility.
“We’re better than this, we need to go forward,” Shields said.
Shearl’s motion to delay the FHS project until a November referendum failed 2-3, with Higdon in support and Young, Antoine and Shields voting against. A subsequent vote to enter into a request for qualifications for a construction manager at risk passed 3-2, with the votes flipped.
Highlands School
The Highlands School project moved toward construction almost a year after a part of the project was controversially stopped.
The Highlands Middle School part of the project would be for HVAC equipment replacement, HVAC controls upgrade, flooring replacement, window replacement and roof replacement. The Pre-K/Media Center project would include renovating two existing rooms into Pre-K classes, renovating the media center and adding four classrooms, a technology lab and an office. Kite said the expansion would be on the “last best spot” on campus.
The Highlands Pre-K project was paused in February and March last year by the Macon County Commissioners and Board of Education, respectively, right before going to bid. That pause ignited action by Highlands residents who pushed for the project to get bid-ready.
On Feb. 8, Shearl praised the project, saying it’s a lot lower than the $8.5 million original estimation. Shearl said he’s learned that the Pre-K will be self-sufficient and that there are 70 Highlands kids needing childcare. Plus, Shearl said the Pre-K part of the project is only $200,000 of the total.
Young said the school liaison committee interviewed a construction manager at risk and selected Vannoy Construction out of Asheville. Young said this process should drum up some local contractors to bid on parts of the project.