Agenda - 05-17-2016 - 5-a - Minutes

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6 1 • provides Phoenix Academy High students with appropriate and supportive facilities, 2 including a biomedical lab 3 • provides desperately needed additional space for students with mental health needs and 4 for students who need a smaller educational environment 5 • provides a community meeting space and a Black/education history museum 6 • provides renovations and NC to the existing gymnasium 7 • addresses moisture and mold concerns 8 • addresses handicap accessibility issues 9 • frees up future capital funding to address other school capital needs 10 • provides appropriately-sized administrative space on the second floor, reducing total 11 expenditures to a small fraction of the total anticipated CHCCS bond funding allocation 12 13 Next Phase Projects 14 Phase II, to begin in 3-4 years: Improvements at Ephesus, Estes Hills and Seawell 15 Elementary Schools and Phillips Middle School. These improvements provide the second most 16 positive impact to capacity. These improvements will hopefully be funded by long range funds 17 Orange County has planned for the district's new schools. 18 Phase III, to begin in 4-7 years: Improvements at Carrboro and Frank Porter Graham 19 Elementary Schools and at Culbreth Middle School. These projects are currently unfunded. It is 20 hoped that future-funding sources will be identified to complete all the projects. 21 22 James Barrett thanked the Board for its willingness to discuss these topics. He 23 expressed his excitement for both the Chapel Hill High School (CHHS) and the Lincoln Center 24 (LC) projects. 25 James Barrett said Tom Forcella had talked with alumni from Lincoln High and the 26 opportunity to bring education back to this area provides great excitement to the alumni 27 community. 28 Todd LoFrese said it is important to remember that CHCCS has been operating at 29 capacity for the last two decades. He said SAPFO projections show a current lull, and thus this 30 is an opportunity to address the older schools and capacity issues. He said the proposed plan 31 would create the capacity of one whole elementary school and 200 high school seats by 32 renovating current buildings. 33 Todd LoFrese said Chapel Hill High is in need of major renovations. 34 Todd LoFrese said a packet was provided to the Board ahead of time with CHCCS 35 projects and priorities included. He said CHCCS also provided written responses to Board 36 questions which are at their places. 37 Commissioner Burroughs asked if there are reasons for renovating CHHS, as opposed 38 to building a new school. 39 Todd Lofrese said the cost is one issue, and the other is where would students go 40 during renovations. 41 Todd LoFrese said there are no additional school sites large enough for a high school. 42 He said CHHS has 1,500 students, and to phase these students in would be a challenge. 43 Todd LoFrese said the academic wing is the focus, as it is deemed beyond renovation 44 and must be a re-build. He said the gym was renovated a few years ago, so it and the 45 auditorium are salvageable to bring up to Orange County standards. 46 Commissioner Burroughs repeated her question and clarified that the largest portion of 47 CHHS will be built new, while the other sections are renovated. 48 Todd LoFrese said it is $50-70 per square foot to renovate versus $200 per square foot 49 for a new facility. He said a new high school would be too expensive, and if an entirely new 50 facility were built at CHHS, there would be no funds to do the projects at the other schools.