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4 <br />HAPEL HILL- <br />ARRBORO <br />xt.~~,r s~~aa~.s <br />TO: Valerie Foushee, Chair <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />FROM: Lisa Stuckey, Chair <br />Board of Education <br />RE: Status of Elementary Eleven <br />DATE: September 14, 2009 <br />In June 2008 the Orange County Board of Commissioners appropriated $974,000 in <br />funding for the architectural design and the approval process for Elementary School # 11. <br />This has allowed the project design and the Town of Chapel Hill approval process to <br />continue despite the uncertainty concerning full project funding. <br />Our architects and design advisory committee have been working since last year to <br />develop design and construction drawings for the new school. Concurrently, we have <br />been seeking the necessary permits from the Town of Chapel Hill. Presentations to the <br />Town's advisory boards have been made and the Special Use Permit (SUP) application <br />process with the Town of Chapel Hill is near completion. A public hearing is being held <br />on September 21, 2009 and we are hopeful for approval at a Town Council meeting soon <br />thereafter. Once approved, the SUP will be valid for a period of 5 years. <br />Current SAPFO projections indicate that the new school should be opened in the fall of <br />2010. With the current delay in funding, construction would not be able to begin until <br />that date at the earliest. If it started next fall, it is estimated that the project completion <br />would be in August 2012, two years past the SAPFO projection date. By that time it is <br />projected that our elementary schools will be 459 students over capacity and the Level of <br />Service will be 108.8%. The timing of the school's completion affects decisions we need <br />to make with respect to district level programs, students' school assignments, and plans <br />for making arrangements for classes for which we have no classrooms. In addition, we <br />may soon reach the point that we must deny Certificate of Adequate Public Schools <br />(CAPS) applications. <br />As such, we feel that it is important to discuss with you the status of this project with <br />respect to the timing of funding and construction. We respectfully request that the <br />Orange County Board of Commissioners place this item on an upcoming agenda. Please <br />let me know if you have any questions or would like to discuss this request. <br />Cc: Orange County Board of Commissioners <br />CHCCS Board of Education <br />