Orange County NC Website
• Timing is important <br /> • Continued Collaboration <br /> Todd LoFrese outlined two examples of how the facilities needs impact education and <br /> instruction. He discussed the moisture and mold growth issue at Chapel Hill High School, <br /> which was a result of exterior drainage issues and an aging HVAC system. He said the library <br /> was closed for a week for repair and renovation, which interfered with education and caused a <br /> ripple effect of concern regarding other classrooms. <br /> He said there was another issue at Estes Hills over the winter with boiler issues. He <br /> said many of the classrooms developed heating issues, and students had to be relocated due <br /> to cold temperatures. He said there was discussion of the need to replace this boiler and <br /> where this is in the capital plan. He said the current plan had the boiler replacement in 2018, <br /> but clearly this needed to be reprioritized. He said, in 2008 and 2009 when revenues were up, <br /> the CIP had the boiler project slated for 2010. He said the decline in revenue caused this <br /> necessary maintenance to be deferred. He said this will now be taken care of over the <br /> summer, but that means something else has to give. <br /> He reviewed the slide listing recommendations. He said the renovations have been <br /> refined and revised to reduce the amount from $205 million to $160 million. <br /> Todd LoFrese discussed the photos of the issues of Estes Hill Elementary, including <br /> aging infrastructure, ADA egress issues, campus security and monitoring, and lighting. He <br /> said there is a recommendation to add a small administrative area to provide a secure <br /> vestibule and point of entry. He said the rear classroom wings have also had moisture issues <br /> and deconstruction and reconstruction are recommended here. He said there is also a <br /> recommendation to enclose the front area of the school with a breezeway. He said this school <br /> was not designed in a time of kiss and go drop off, so there is a lot of traffic conflict. He said <br /> there is no designated access point for the different modes of transportation. He said the <br /> recommendations for Estes Hills Elementary would increase the schools capacity by 58 <br /> students, bringing it to the Orange County standard of 585 students. <br /> Todd LoFrese said looking at this type of approach for all of the older schools could <br /> help increase district capacity by a total of 660 seats. <br /> He noted that even base level renovation needs would cost $50 million, without <br /> addressing capacity. <br /> Pam Jones said the OCS facilities assessment is a mirror image of what was just <br /> presented, and the needs of this district also total $160 million. She said the facilities <br /> assessment is 913 pages long and reflects a lot of deferred maintenance and deconstruction <br /> needs. <br /> She said OCS has started to address some of the deferred maintenance, and some of <br /> this may be added to the budget through fund balance appropriations. She said the addition <br /> of a maintenance staff person has also been proposed. She said the issues are too big to <br /> address, even with a bond, given the amount needed from both districts. She said the board <br /> of education has just begun to dissect the facilities report, and this will be brought back in June <br /> to work out priorities to present to the Board. She said there are two projects in the OCS CIP, <br /> and those are elementary #8 and the classroom wing at Cedar Ridge High School. <br /> Chair Jacobs asked Todd LoFrese about the cost to build Northside. <br /> Todd LoFrese said Northside cost $24 million. <br />