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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: March 22, 2016 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 7-a <br /> SUBJECT: Consideration of a Third Party Analysis to Prioritize School Capital Projects <br /> DEPARTMENT: County Manager <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> None Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager <br /> 919-245-2306 <br /> Travis Myren, Deputy County Manager <br /> 919-245-2308 <br /> PURPOSE: To authorize staff to proceed with the solicitation of a consultant to conduct a <br /> comparative analysis of school facility needs and to prioritize those needs based on standard <br /> criteria. <br /> BACKGROUND: During the September 29, 2015 joint meeting of the Board of County <br /> Commissioners, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education, and the Orange County Board of <br /> Education, the Boards discussed the possibility of the County engaging a third party consultant <br /> to compare and prioritize the capital needs of both districts. Since that time, no final decision <br /> has been made by the Board of Commissioners about whether to proceed with this type of <br /> analysis. <br /> During the joint meeting, staff from each of the school districts presented facility improvement <br /> needs. These needs were based on comprehensive facility assessments conducted by <br /> architectural firms. The assessments focused on repairs, renovations, and upgrades of existing <br /> school facilities. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro analysis included the District's ten oldest schools <br /> while the Orange County Schools analysis studied all of the District's facilities. The combined <br /> cost of the recommended improvements totaled approximately $330 million. <br /> Since the total cost of the recommendations exceeds the amount of funding contemplated by <br /> the bond referendum for school facility improvements, the Boards discussed whether the County <br /> should hire a third party consultant to prioritize projects. The consultant would review the facility <br /> assessments prepared on behalf of each of the school districts and would apply a set of <br /> standard criteria to rank and prioritize those projects. The criteria would include life, health, and <br /> safety needs, security needs, sequencing based on operational needs, and structural and <br /> mechanical needs. This process would establish an empirical element to the consideration of <br /> capital projects and may help inform the Board of Commissioners' deliberations on how to apply <br /> the proceeds of a bond referendum and other Capital Budget and Capital Investment Plan <br /> funds. <br />