AG 2004 04 19 - Laserfiche WebLink

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M~nutes - Community Committee on Education Capital Planning and Rnancing 2 Bond money and County matching funds of approximately $3.56 million. Future needs totaling approximately $15 to $17 million include construction of Building 4000, a proposed satellite campus to be linked with a new County high school and additional parking. Mr. Foley advised the college would prefer that funding for Building 3000 not be a part of the bond referendum for public schools. He urged the committee members to call if there are any questions. Dr. Winkler responded to questions regarding land needs. He said high schools require 75 acres and elementary schools can be built on 20 acres without parks and recreation areas or 28-30 acres with those facilities. Estimated land costs range from $36,000/acre to $52,000/acre. Dr. Winkler said there were 5,000 students in portable classrooms when he arrived in Cabarrus County and schools were needed in a hurry. Larger schools were built to minimize the number of schools built. Dr. Winkler reviewed the critical needs of the County Schools, including the bond requests for 2004, 2006 and 2008. He reported the School Board had requested that the science classrooms and the labs at Northwest High School ($2.5 million) and media center at Concord High School ($3.5 million) be moved from the 2006 bond referendum to the 2004 bond referendum. This increased the 2004 bond referendum to $68,090,000. Dr. Winkler said the current Odell School site could be sold with the County having the right of first refusal. NC 73 is scheduled to become a four-lane highway and the property would be more valuable and appropriate for some other type of use. The proceeds would be used to offset other school construction or renovation related expenses. A new elementary school to be located on Harris Road would replace the Odell School and a new elementary school is needed in the Northwest area. Dr. Winkler suggested the construction of a two-story high school to reduce the required acreage and stated support of the co-location of a RCCC satellite campus with the new high school. Mr. Foley and Dr. Winkler responded to questions regarding the new high school and contiguous RCCC satellite campus. Mr. Foley indicated that the new high school could be used for night classes by college students, but stated it was less than an ideal situation. Teachers would be concerned about classroom disruption and adults would have a hard time fitting into spaces designed for students. Mr. Foley outlined the following advantages for the satellite facility to be built contiguously to the high school: Students could walk over and take dual credit courses; Convenient for faculty members taking refresher training courses; Extra parking spaces for athletic events; and Shared vocational lab facilities would save construction expenses. There are no foreseen disadvantages at this time although there may be some concern about adults and youngsters sharing the same real estate. Dr. Winkler stated his desire to have an alternative vocational school with a culinary arts program in Cabarrus County. Mr, Campbell asked Dr. Winkler what would happen if the needed schools were not built. He said he would have no choice but to install as many portable classrooms as the Fire Marshal would allow. Other options would be to increase classroom size and possibly operate two shifts out of existing high schools, There was discussion regarding the impact of the schools, specifically the large number of portable classrooms, on economic development. Mr. Day commented that nobody wants portable classrooms and the information previously provided to the committee gave alternatives on how to achieve more schools for fewer dollars. Dr. Byerly stated that schools are critical to the economic development for the City of Kannapolis.