Minutes - 03-29-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Commissioner Brown said that she just read the standards based on services provided to the community. She would like to see what kind of use the community is going to have with the school building. She feels that a price tag should be put on future schools as soon as possible. John Link said that a way to do that would be to have the Board work up numbers as to what is expected of the school systems. Commissioner Brown said that it is important to place schools where parks could be attached. Commissioner Gordon said that it is important to find out what the facts are. She said that the Board should find out if both school systems are using the same approach in acquiring school sites. Commissioner Jacobs agreed with revisiting the standards. He said that the Board should consider setting the inflation figures. He feels the Board should revisit the issue about road and utility improvements. He also feels that the County Commissioners should be clear to the school systems about the value-engineering principles they expect them to follow. Commissioner Hatkiotis said that there are two different philosophical engines driving the two school systems. Orange County Schools already have in place the architectural prototype design of an elementary school and have built the same one with a few minor changes, thus saving on cost. He invited the Board to visit the site of the new school being built now. He said that this new school is built in anon-traditional way. There is a lobbying effort to not allow this school to be built. Two of the biggest architectural firms that build schools have come out with prototype models for schools. Commissioner Jacobs clarified that the school Commissioner Hatkiotis was talking about was costing $12.7 million. Commissioner Brown said that this issue was becoming more sensitive on developing Shaping Orange County's Future. She sees more need for equity between the north and south Orange split. Chair Carey agrees that there are different philosophical issues, and the Board needs to better understand the differences in costs of the two systems. He said that if the Board does not understand he feels the public will be totally confused and there is a risk of a public backlash if there is uncertainty about differences in cost of the schools. He feels that the County must proceed with the bond issue, but he is nervous about going too fast. He suggested that the staff bring back the revised scenario and see what the implications would be. Commissioner Gordon thinks the Board is on target and should be proactive and act in a cooperative manner and go a little farther to articulate to the school systems exactly what the Board's expectations are. Chair Carey thinks that the Board should communicate to the school systems right now that the inflation rate will be set at 2.5%. John Link made a recommendation that the staff come to the next work session on April 24th in a coordinated way and have a suggested transmittal letter to both school systems. The letter will be based on how the Board is now responding to capital projects (planning, land acquisition, structure costs, etc.). Chair Carey thinks the letter should be approached in a comprehensive matter. He thinks the Board should incorporate the value engineering expectation. John Link said that the school systems could be told not to start planning buildings until some decisions could be made. Chair Carey said that the Board should be clear about what is expected of the school systems in building new schools. John Link said that he does not understand how any money could be spent now on any school that has not been approved by a governing body of the County. Commissioner Brown said that the Board needs to get involved with the Town of Chapel Hill on their stipulations for sidewalks and other issues concerning schools. Commissioner Gordon said that the Board talked one time about the qualifications of sites and standards for any type of sites. She said that there should be suitable school site criteria. Commissioner Brown said that any time there is a school donation in the works the Board of County Commissioners should be involved. Commissioner Hatkiotis said that he went with David Stanch and others to meet with Senator Kinnard yesterday. One of the big issues is that schools should not be built near water sources because of the humid conditions in this part of the country. The location of schools should be decided by more than one group of people. He said that there should be a centralized planning process in siting schools. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system's retreat and said that they talked about the new central office, a new elementary school, and apre-K facility at the Meadowmont Site. They also talked about designing an elementary school by October 2000 and having it ready by November 2001. Commissioner Brown said that the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system feels that this donated site should be valuable to them, but maybe the Board should let them know that they can let the site go if it is not cost effective. Commissioner Jacobs suggested incorporating a park into the site.