Minutes - 06-14-2001 - Laserfiche WebLink

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question is how to adapt the schools part in the CIP. With reference to the Orange County schools, she asked about the Hillsborough Elementary School renovations. She asked if this is the project on the bond or the original project. Budget Director Donna Dean said that the Hillsborough Elementary School renovation is nat the project on the band referendum but a previous project. John Link explained that the staff is proposing that the schools alsa have an interim one- year CIP. The Hillsborough Elementary School renovation project is not on the list because it was submitted before the bond committee ever started. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the Orange High School renovation project, which is 1.8 million and asked if this was a different renovation project from the $950,000. Donna Dean clarified that it was similar to the Hillsboraugh Elementary School project. The $1.1 million was funded in previous years. $550,000 will be put in this year from the 1997 bands. The $950,000 is separate and a part of the upcoming anticipated bond referendum in November. Donna Dean clarified that the Board of County Commissioners has appropriated $572,000 to date for elementary school #9 for Chapel Hill-Carrboro. Commissioner Brown asked about the upgrading of the multi-purpose room to a community gym, a CountylChapel Hill project. Superintendent Pedersen said that his position is that he is happy to cooperate with the County and the town to build a full size gym which will cost an additional $750,000. Chair Halkiotis said that if there is a perceived need for a gymnasium at the Meadowmont Elementary School, then somebody needs to write the Board of County Commissioners and let them know about that need. Commissioner Carey said that there has been some urgency for the Meadowmont gym. Steve Scroggs said that in the design of the building, they need to know what size gym they are talking about so that it can be included by the architect in order to move forward in a timely manner. Superintendent Pederson said that what he was trying to do was to learn from what happened at Scraggs Elementary, which was that after it was designed, the Tawn came forward and indicated that they needed additional gym space and asked that it be included. For Meadowmont, the gym was added as an option -multipurpose room or a full size gym. There are site implications and major design implications and this information was provided last fall. They were not advocating for a full size gym but providing the information if a decision is made to move forward. If they do not see the funding coming forward by June 30, 2001, they will move forward with a multipurpose room. He said that he does not feel that the Board of Education will allocate from their fund balance. John Link clarified that in order for the gym to happen, the expectation is for the County to come up with about $400,000 plus the $500,000 and this decision would need to be made in the next week. Commissioner Carey said that he is not sure he supports using the school's fund balance for a community gymnasium. If he was to invest taxpayers' money into a community gym, he would not put it at this location. Chair Halkiotis said that he would not vote to allocate another $500,000 when the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board has a fund balance of $3.9 million. He said that the County was very responsible in funding the schools. Commissioner Jacobs agreed that a gym should be more centrally located and not on the County line. He said that the County Commissioners were being asked to pay for more than half of the gym. The Town of Chapel Hill is short by $122,000 of paying for half of the gym. He also pointed out that the elementary school would control the gym part of the time and the Town would control it the rest of the time, although the County is expected to pay $400,000 for it. He also agrees about being careful in proceeding with the bond referendum. Commissioner Jacobs asked far clarification an adjusting the figures in the CIP after the bond referendum and if comments were in order now ar after the bond referendum. John Link said that after a decision is made on the bond referendum, then the other important projects that are not