Orange County NC Website
8 <br /> 1 far. He said even the newer schools are entering into the age where HVAC and roofing needs <br /> 2 are common. <br /> 3 Commissioner Dorosin mentioned the reference to Lincoln Center on page 36. He noted <br /> 4 the mention of this being turned back into a school and asked for more information. <br /> 5 Todd LoFrese said this is still a very preliminary discussion. He said one option is to just <br /> 6 renovate this building and use it as a central office. He said the other option is to deconstruct it <br /> 7 and build a new central office; and the third option is to return Lincoln Center to some type of <br /> 8 community use and build a new central office at a different location. <br /> 9 Commissioner Dorosin said he appreciates the potential for increased capacity with <br /> 10 upgrades, and he wonders if this can be prioritized. He said the next school needed will be the <br /> 11 middle school. He asked if there is a way to put more money into maximizing the increased <br /> 12 capacity to push the need for the next middle school out even further. <br /> 13 Commissioner Pelissier asked if OCS study will incorporate the issue of Pre-K <br /> 14 classrooms. She wants to make sure that this is looked at. <br /> 15 Todd Lofrese said two of the options have presented the idea of coming in line with the <br /> 16 Orange County construction standards, to include a dedicated Pre-K site. <br /> 17 Commissioner Price asked if staff anticipates that any of the schools would need to be <br /> 18 deconstructed and re-built. <br /> 19 Todd Lofrese said one portion of Chapel Hill High School may require this. He said <br /> 20 other options at Estes Hills do remove some existing buildings and replace them with others. <br /> 21 He said the approach would depend on the campus. <br /> 22 Commissioner Price asked if there is any goal to get rid of trailers in both systems. <br /> 23 Todd LoFrese said this is part of the recommendation. He said the HVAC and flooring in <br /> 24 the mobile units already need to be replaced. <br /> 25 Commissioner Gordon referred to the square footage information on pages 9 and 36 of <br /> 26 the presentation. She noted the differences in the various schools in the number of square feet <br /> 27 per student. She asked how the calculation is made to determine how many students get <br /> 28 added to the capacity of the building when additional square footage is constructed. <br /> 29 Todd LoFrese said each school is unique and has to be looked at individually. He said <br /> 30 there were some things that were assumed to be fixed. He said realistically it does not make <br /> 31 sense to tear a wing down if it is in good shape and is only 200 square feet under the standard. <br /> 32 He said core capacities, such as cafeterias and gymnasiums, are a big consideration. <br /> 33 These must be large enough to handle increased capacity. He said the impact of capacity on <br /> 34 programming and teams within the schools also has to be considered. <br /> 35 Commissioner Gordon said at some point the rooms are just too small to serve the <br /> 36 needed purpose. She said she assumes this would be looked at in another level of analysis. <br /> 37 OCS Interim Superintendent Burns referred to the timeline for the OCS approach, <br /> 38 outlined on page 41. He said there have been three steps, which included: 1. Working with DPI <br /> 39 on an assessment of older facilities; 2. Contracting with Safe Haven for a comprehensive review <br /> 40 of buildings to look at facility safety needs and risk management practices; and 3. Approval of a <br /> 41 complete facilities assessment. <br /> 42 He said the timeline for this third step estimates the results will be back in January, 2014 <br /> 43 for presentation to the Board of Education. <br /> 44 Chair Brownstein said this has been a wonderful collaboration between the two school <br /> 45 systems. <br /> 46 Jamezetta Bedford said has been looking at the number. She wants the Board of <br /> 47 County Commissioners to think about the fact that the CIP has been reduced, and the older <br /> 48 schools have been deferred. She said the schools are facing what the County faced 10 or 15 <br /> 49 years ago in terms of facility needs. <br /> 50 She said there needs to be a conversation with the citizens about this. She said there <br /> 51 needs to be discussion before moving forward with buildings, parks and other programs when <br />