Following a joint meeting of the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education last week, the schematic designs for a new Franklin High School and stadium will be submitted to local and state review agencies.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved moving forward with the preliminary design work as presented by LS3P at the Oct. 18 meeting held at the FHS Fine Arts Center.
The proposed new high school will be built on the site of the current campus but reconfigured so that the three-story building, gym and auditorium sit at the back of campus, where the upper practice field is now located. Once the new building is completed, the existing buildings will be demolished, and a new multi-purpose field will be built at the front of the campus.
Work on the stadium and track will be phase one of the project, followed by construction of the academic buildings and then demolition. Construction could be completed in 2026.
The cost is estimated to be $118,420,233, which includes $10,304,560 to account for cost escalation and $7,360,400 in contingency. The present-day value of the building is $73,603,998.
The stadium construction is $14,175,455 of the total.
A local option sales tax is being presented as a way to help pay for the school system’s capital needs, including construction of the high school. A one-quarter cent (1/4) sales tax increase will be on the November ballot. The sales tax is estimated to generate an additional $2 million in revenue each year. The sales tax alone would not pay for the new school, so a property tax increase is a possibility in the future, unless the county finds other funding sources to help pay for the school.
School design
Paul Boney, LS3P vice president, outlined the district goals for the school project as: an economic development driver, a safe and inviting place for students and faculty, the center of the community, energy savings, and community pride.
There has been concern among some in the community that the plan for the new school will not accommodate future growth. Boney said the plan as presented has everything the current campus has plus an additional 80,000-square-feet of space. There is also space on the site to build an addition if needed in the future.
During the public input portion of the meeting, former tax administrator Richard Lightner suggested that the old drive-in property on Phillips Street, which the county owns, be deeded to the high school. He said also acquiring the adjacent properties near the front parking lot would give the county more space for the school and more control over the campus and surrounding area.
The school will be under one roof with one primary entry point, which addresses some of the security issues at the current campus. The school also will be built to meet ADA requirements to make it more accessible to all students.
The building plan includes a classroom wing on the left, a center section with support space such as offices, media center, cafeteria, gym and the stadium is on the right.
Level 1: Career and Technical Education space in the three-story classroom wing. The center will include administrative offices, resource/exceptional children, dining area and kitchen, auditorium, gym and auxiliary gym. A courtyard between the classroom wing and the center can be used for outdoor learning or dining.
Level 2: Classrooms, CTE, fine arts, guidance media center. There will be a “bridge” from the second floor connecting the classroom wing and the center section.
Level 3: Classrooms.
Stadium: The football field will be raised from its current level and will be about 20 feet below the main level of the new campus. The first floor of the stadium facility will include physical education lockers, team locker rooms, weight rooms, and rooms for band, dance and chorus. The band will have direct access to the stadium field and space for loading/unloading.
During the Oct. 24 Board of Education meeting, Chairman Jim Breedlove addressed rumors that there would not be space for the agriculture program. He said that is not true and that there will be bigger and improved facilities for the department.
Boney said the next steps in the process will include meeting with teachers in each department to better understand what they need in their spaces. “The main thing we have to do is stay within the budget,” he said.
Boney said sending the design plans for review does not obligate the county to the project.
Other projects
The Oct. 18 meeting also included votes on projects at Macon Middle School and Highlands School. Commissioner Paul Higdon voted against four of the five of the projects, saying the board was going on a “shopping spree” without much direction. “None of these items were mentioned six months ago,” he said. “I’m not saying they’re not worthy projects.” He did not like the process in how the requests were being presented and felt there needed to be more discussion to prioritize the needs. He said the Board of Commissioners are responsible for 50-60 other county buildings, in addition to the schools. “We need better planning.”
• Macon Middle School Locker Room bid acceptance: The Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the bid of $2,519,250 from Carolina Specialties Construction for work on a new gym/locker room addition.
• Macon Middle School Track: The track needs to be repaired, including replacement of the gravel base. Breedlove said there is a $100,000 grant that could help pay for the repairs, and he suggested using funds left over from the previous MMS renovation. Vote: 4-1 to move forward with bids on the project, with Higdon opposed.
• Highlands School soccer field: There was a discussion about the ongoing issues with drainage and runoff at the Highlands School soccer field. Breedlove said soccer is Highlands’ football. Highlands school board representative Hilary Wilkes said if the issue is not addressed now, the school could miss three seasons of competition. The field is also used for physical education and other activities. Vote: 4-1 to resurface the field, with Higdon opposed.
• Architect recommendation for Highlands Pre-K: A committee appointed by Superintendent Chris Baldwin had evaluated the responses to the Request for Qualifications and made its recommendation for the Highlands School addition architect.
Wilkes said the addition includes more than just the two Pre-K classrooms; it also includes other classrooms, media center upgrades and will allow the school to move the high school classrooms out of the elementary wing. The estimated cost is $5.5 million.
County Commissioner candidates John Shearl and Danny Antoine questioned if the need for Pre-K in Highlands is something that could be addressed by private enterprise rather than through the school system.
“Let the public step in and do something to fill the needs,” Antoine said.
Shearl asked if a daycare was needed rather than Pre-K education space. However, he also added, “If Pre-K is so important to Franklin, they’re also important to Highlands.”
The school system currently has five Pre-K classrooms, but none of them are in Highlands.
Wilkes said she did not see the need for Pre-K shrinking as Highlands continues to grow. She also pointed out that the Pre-K classrooms serve not only Highlands residents, but also workers from Franklin who need a place for their children during the day.
Vote: 3-2 to authorize the county manager to enter contract negotiations with LS3P for the Highlands Pre-K project. Higdon and Commissioner Josh Young opposed.
• Repair and Renovation Fund application: The Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education must jointly submit the application for the county’s share of the lottery funds allocated for repairs and renovations of schools. The Board of Education has requested that the money be allocated for the Highlands Middle School project. Vote: 4-1 to submit the application to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Higdon opposed.