Public hearings and possible votes on a $75.6 million Franklin High School bond and the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance are slated to highlight the Macon County Board Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
The commissioners approved both public hearings at the July 9 meeting.
The debt bond public hearing will be about the plan to borrow an estimated $75.6 million for the proposed new Franklin High School project. A vote to recommend the financing plan could come right after the public hearing.
That vote could be the last before Macon County fully commits to the long-awaited project. The county’s timeline has the final approval of the debt and bond sale at the N.C. Local Government Commission meeting on Sept. 10. If approved, Macon County can issue the bond the following day (Sept. 11). With the money in hand, the project’s Construction Manager At Risk, Carroll Daniel, can begin full-scale work in late October/early November.
In January, the county received a $62 million Needs-Based Public School Fund Grant to cover a portion of the project.
The FHS project, as of that July 9 meeting, was estimated to cost $137,624,444, although Macon County Finance Director Lori Carpenter said the project’s guaranteed maximum price (GMP) wouldn’t be final until this week after Carroll Daniel reviewed all 51 bid packages for subcontracted work, ranging from cleaning to a greenhouse to signage to HVAC and more. Carpenter confirmed all bid packages got at least one bidder as of the Aug. 1 deadline for the second round of bids (if any public contract doesn’t get at least three bidders initially, it must go out for a second round).
According to Carpenter, based on the $70.43 million principal amount estimation as of mid-July, total debt service would be $104.9 million based on an effective rate of 3.71% over a 20-year amortization.
The FHS project would replace the current school, which consists of several buildings constructed from 1951 through 2000, and the football stadium, built in 1949 with additions up through 2003. The new school would be one four-story building located on what is now the upper practice field behind the current football stadium. The new football stadium would be on most of the current stadium’s footprint but moved further east toward the lower practice field.
The plan is for construction to be finished by the first day of class in 2026, roughly 22 months after starting. The rest of 2026 would consist of demolishing the old school buildings and constructing a new practice field and parking lot where the buildings once stood, with completion slated for December 2026.
According to the numbers presented in late May, the estimated project budget is over $114 million. Construction Manager fees will be over $4.6 million, furniture will be over $3.4 million, IT will be $1.1 million, CTE equipment will be $1.4 million, athletic equipment will be $800,000, temporary classroom allowances will be $350,000, professional fees are $4.3 million and inspection fees are $1.25 million and owner/site contingency fees are at $6.2 million. Carpenter said a budget with firm numbers will be presented on Aug. 13.
The Aug. 13 meeting will also have the guaranteed maximum price presented for the Highlands School renovations. The latest county estimate for that project in May was $7.8 million. Vannoy Construction is the Construction Manager At Risk for that project.
Construction Manager At Risk means that the company in charge of construction contractually cannot go above the guaranteed maximum price or face financial penalties.
The Macon County Board of Commissioners meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13 in the board room on the third floor of the Courthouse.