ORD-2005-006 - Middle School #3 Orange County Schools Capital Project Ordinance

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I -a ~-~-vvs ~-- Chair Carey said that there is also an Orange County Disability Awareness Council that. the County supports. Commissioner Halkotis asked that all leased properties be included. in the handicapped accessib ity component. A motion was,made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Foushee to accept the final Report on Functions and Responsibilities of the Human Rights and Relations Department and amend the County's.Classification and Pay Plan to addthe new class of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) Coordinator at salary grade 17 effective February 4, 2005. DOTE: UNANIMOUS 6. Resolutions or Proclamation a. Middle School #3 Capital Protect Ordinance The Board considered a .resolution and a revised capital project ordinance regarding appropriation of additional funds-:for construction of Orange County. Schools (OCS) Middle School #3. John Link said that in November 2001, the voters of Orange County approved.. in the school bond-$18.5 million for constructing a new middle school for the fJrange County school system.. This `$18.5 million, at that point, was the amount that had been specified in the construction standards adopted several years ago. Since that time, a site has been located,. approximately 1.00 acres: between West- Ten Road and I-40/1-85. The school system and the County Commissioners and staff have been working on developing the-total area so that, as the school is planned and built, there will also be work on multiple soccer fields in the same area. The school system and the County Commissioners have entered into an inter-local agreement. He said that this item is related to the outcorne of the bids that-were received in December by the school board. Thee. action is to ask the Board to consider appropriating as much as $3.5 million in additional funds toward this project, based on the costs of steel, concrete, etc. There. is also a letter from Superintendent Carraway (peach colored) indicating that the school system has identified $350,000 of their revenue to address this shortfall. -This is in response to a letter sent by him to both superintendents in September asking them to identify sources of revenue to help in the overruns _of Phis project and. High School #3 in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school system.. Rod Visser said that this is-an urgent issue because the middle school is slated to-.open in August 2006:: The project architects have indicated to the schoo board that in order to keep this.. project on track, it is important to begin construction bymid-February. The: school board has this item on its agenda tonight. In :December, the Board indicated that it intended to reallocate some or perhaps all of the $12.8 million that is-currently earmarked in the County's plan for CHCCS Elementary#10 to address some of the anticipated cost overruns for this project and the CHCCS High School #3 project and perhaps the senior centers: Funds to build Elementary school #10 will be allocated at a later date. This. action is to specifically fol ow upon this indication of intent in December. Rod Visser pointed out thatin October the Board asked that a work group: be put together, comprised: of County and' chool representatives; that coald examine ongoing issues related to the joint relationship between the middle school project and the adjacent County soccer complex. Chair Carey is serving on this work group along with other staff members...,. Chair Libby Hough, Superintendent Carraway, and other school toff members. The .,group mete. last week to talk about budgetary considerations. There is some work to be done on .;potential additional joint savings through economies of scale. Also, County`staff conducted an assessment of the cost overruns for this project and for High School #3, and it is summarized in the abstract: .