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137 <br /> <br /> The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met in <br />recessed session in Multipurpose Room #1 at the Cabarrus County Senior <br />Center, 331 Corban Avenue, SE, Concord, on Tuesday, January 26, 1999, <br />at 12:00 P.M. <br /> <br />Present - Chairman: Jeffrey L. Barnhart <br /> Vice-Chairman: Arne L. Fennel <br /> Commissioners: Carolyn B. Carpenter <br /> Coy C. Privette <br />Absent Commissioner: Sue B0 Casper <br /> <br /> Also present were Mr. Frank W. Clifton, Jr., County Manager; Mr. <br />Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr., County Attorney; and Mrs. Frankie F. Bonds, <br />Clerk to the Board. <br /> <br /> Chairman Barnhart called the meeting to order. Commissioner <br />Carpenter was absent for the beginning of the meeting but arrived at <br />approximately 12:35 P.M. <br /> <br /> Members and staff from the Cabarrus County Board of Education and <br />the Kannapolis City Board of Education were present for the meeting. <br />Those present included Cabarrus School Board Chair Chris Lee and <br />Members Gary Hahn, Grace Mynatt, Liz Poole and Don Hoyle; Dr. Harold <br />Winkler, Superintendent; Kannapolis School Board Chairman Lee Efird and <br />member Linda Johnson; and Dr. Ed Tyson, Superintendent. <br /> <br /> Commissioner Privette introduced Mr. James Wo Cogdell, Chairman <br />of the Mecklenburg County Citizens Capital Budget Advisory Committee. <br /> <br /> Mr. Cogdell discussed the importance of maintaining school <br />properties and addressed current efforts to evaluate and improve school <br />facilities in Mecklenburg County. Stating he had visited 56 of 132 <br />Mecklenburg school properties, Mr. Cogdell described the school <br />facility conditions as deplorable, including inferior construction and <br />delayed or no maintenance. He stated that reserves of 2.5 percent of a <br />building's value should be set aside each year in an <br />operating/maintenance fund to take care of problems. Since State law <br />does not allow Schools to carry forward operating/maintenance funds <br />from year to year, Mr. Cogdell plans to seek legislation to change the <br />Schools budgeting process. He also plans to seek legislation that will <br />allow greater flexibility in financing and construction options for <br />schools, such as the sale/lease back for private developers, <br />privatization of more services and pilot building programs for five <br />different types of schools in Mecklenburg County. Other issues <br />addressed by Mr. Cogdell during his presentation included the need for <br />functional school designs, possible outsourcing of property management, <br />funding of $4.00 per square foot for school operating expenses and the <br />analysis of the life cycle for such products as roofing materials, <br />heating and air conditioning equipment and exterior caulking. Further, <br />Mr. Cogdell stated in his opinion mobile units are needed to provide <br />flexibility in changing school population. He also suggested that <br />schools be designed in such a way to allow for future alternative uses <br />such as conversion to a nursing home facility. <br /> <br /> There was brief discussion regarding the use of School operating <br />funds and the need for a separate operating/maintenance fund. Although <br />the Schools cannot carry operating funds forward from year to year, Mr. <br />Clifton stated the County could do so. He explained that school <br />officials are now placed in a position of whether to use money for <br />maintenance such as painting or to buy such items as computers for <br />educating the students. <br /> <br /> Chairman Barnhart thanked Mr. Cogdell for meeting with the Board <br />of Commissioners and members of the two school boards. <br /> <br /> There being no further business to come before the Board, <br />Chairman Barnhart adjourned the meeting at 1:35 P.M. <br /> <br />Clerk to the Board <br /> <br /> <br />