Orange County NC Website
John Link noted that the largest amount of square footage between the tiers is for workrooms and <br />offices for staff support. <br />Sally Kost explained that tier 2 includes extra square footage for storage and for multi purpose <br />space to be used for after school care. Tier 3 includes all other space including additional storage, <br />lobby space, common space for students - all other over and above the state standards. <br />Commissioner Crowther said he likes the concept that schools are community buildings. He <br />hopes the Board can set the standards so that they address community needs. <br />Chair Carey supports the use of schools for community and recreational purposes. He thinks that <br />tier 1 is educational support space and it appears to him that perhaps this can be made less confusing <br />to the public by adding the tier 1 items into the basic school - for both the elementary and middle school. <br />The first tier would be the community use tier and the second tier would be for all other space. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis challenged the Chapel Hill/Carrboro School system and the Orange <br />County School system to say up front whether or not the building will be open to the community after <br />hours. Also reasonableness in design is important. The County has had to significantly reduce the cost <br />of new construction for County buildings and it is expected that the schools do the same. Caswell has <br />two elementary schools that used the same design. He asked that the goal be to get the maximum <br />amount of teaching space without having monuments. <br />Chair Carey feels the minimum should address the basic educational needs and if the school <br />adds footage for alfterschool purposes then they, at that time, are making a commitment for this use. <br />Chair Carey said that tier 1 should be worked into the basic school and the afterschool activities <br />should be included in that tier. The second tier would be what is now tier three. If money runs short then <br />the school board will have to make a decision on what needs to be cut. This does not tell the school <br />boards how much square footage to put in each school because it would depend on programming for <br />that particular school. <br />Commissioner Crowther asked for an explanation from Orange County schools on why they <br />voted to not endorse the recommendation of the Construction Standards Work Group. Board Member <br />Susan Dovenbarger said that the Orange County schools made a motion to endorse the basic school <br />and leave the tiers in place as they are now stated. Going beyond the basic school would depend on <br />what money is available and the justification for going beyond the minimum. <br />Commissioners Gordon and Halkiotis agreed with Chair Carey on combining tier 1 into the basic <br />tier <br />In response to a concern expressed by Commissioner Halkiotis, Chair Carey said that he feels <br />the Schools Boards know what the County can afford and he hopes that they will reuse designs and <br />design schools as economically as possible. The assumption in the report is that the cost of land will be <br />the same for both school systems which may not be true since the cost of land in Chapel Hill is more <br />expensive than that in Orange County's school district. <br />It was the consensus that the basic school will be basic plus the original tier one, the new tier A <br />will include afterschool space and community use (the original tier two) and tier B will include everything <br />else (the original tier three).