Agenda - 09-24-2001 - 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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9- 4-01 ; 4:51P1V1;Cha0ei Hill Carr John Link ;9979 9334560 7i 2/ 3 CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS Lincoln Center, Merritt Mill Road Chapel Hill, North Carolina./.2751 f Telephone: (919) 967-811 FAX: 919-933-4560 Neil Q. Pedersen Nettle Collins-Hart, Assistant Superintendent Superintendent for Instructional Services Raymond J. Reitz - Steve Scroggs, Assistant Superintendent Chief Technology officer for Support Services September 4,2001 Stephen H.Halkiotis, Chair Orange County Board.of Commissioners P. O.Box 8 f 81 200 South Cameron Street Hillsborough,NC 27278 Dear Commissioner Halkiotis: I would like to respond briefly to your letter of August 28,2001 regarding the construction of a community gym for Elementary School No. 9. First,let me assure you that the Board of Education in no way is trying to circumvent the authority of the County Commissioners. Partnerships can be tricky and it's difficult to keep everyone in the loop,especially during the summer when some elected boards don't meet, I have received a copy of the letter that Mayor Waldorf sent to you today and concur with the facts presented in her letter. Both the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Chapel Hill— Carrboro City Schools Board of Education have operated in good faith in an effort to make the best use of taxpayers' dollars by participating in this collaborative effort: As much as we wanted to be good partners with the Town,we indicated that we did not have sufficient funds to pay for a full-size gymnasium. This led to discussions of how the Town of Chapel Hill could contribute the additional cost,estimated to be$750,000. As Mayor Waldorf has explained,$250,000 would be credited based on requirements that the Town would waive and another$250,000 would be paid directly to the schools. The School Board asked that the-remaining$250,000 be made in a direct payment or as in-kind services. Representatives of the Town focused on the opportunity to provide our swim teams with services that have been sadly lacking in the past,but would become available if the aquatic center is constructed. Our draft agreement specifies that if for any reason the center is not constructed, the Town would reimburse us directly for the balance. This proposal has been developed during-the month of August,following a Board discussion on July 19`x. We would be happy to share a copy of this draft later this week in that it is still in the revision process. Although the Board of Education has not approved this agreement or even discussed from where the$250,000 balance would come,two possibilities would be our fund balance and our CIP. Both would require the approval of the County Commissioners.