Agenda - 04-25-2006-1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Stuckey said that CHCCS is collecting rainwater at one of its schools, so the stormwater impact of the school is less than one with a smaller footprint. Other group members added that school parking lot surfaces could be made fiom porous materials. After noting that some UNC Chapel Hill campus buildings have been designed to generate no stormwater runoff; the group agreed to invite the campus's Sustainability Coordinator, Cindy Shea, to give a presentation to the group. It also was noted that the City schools district is required to pay a stormwater utility fee to the Town of Chapel Hill, and that perhaps in conversations between the school districts and the municipalities the question might be raised as to wily a public school district should "pay a municipal tax." Mr. Copeland said that OCS is not likely to need any new school facilities over the next 8 -10 years, Mr. Hartkopf added that even if Mebane continues to grow, OCS could manage school capacity through redistricting. However, said Mr. Copeland, OCS has an interest in reassessing school construction standards from a fiscal perspective. "It all comes back to the taxpayer's pocketbook," he said. Mr. Hartkopf said that some County residents have a "Taj Mahal, mother of pearl" image of CHCCS facilities. It is better to have some basic standards, in order to clear up the misperceptions, he said. Mr. Copeland added that some OCS Board members compare their schools with the schools in the CHCCS in order to evaluate the fairness of the County's treatment of the two districts. They note what was cut from Gravelley Hill because of an $18 million limit. The perception is that "all our money is going to Chapel Hill." He asked where the funding comes from for special features in CHCCS school facilities, such as water recovery systems and front canopies. He said that he would like to take sonic facts back to his Board to clear up any misperceptions that they might have. Ms. Stuckey said that CHCCS had to cut elements fiom its school facility designs, and cited cultural arts space and a football stadium, for example. She said that the CHCCS district has added costs from the Chapel Hill and Carrboro regulatory requirements. "We have to build "plant rescues" into our construction schedules," she added, "and we have to provide bus stops." She said that East Chapel Hill High was built in stages, and that some State money was used to fund construction. Ms. Stuckey added that CHCCS is using the County's high school standards. She said that the best starting point for reassessing the County's school construction standards is the set of issues presented today by the staffs of the two School Districts and County. Dr. Carraway said that if the three jurisdictions "really set a basic standard," including identifying different school facility uses, then everyone will be able to understand who is getting what when features are added to a school design. Mr. ,Jacobs added that both districts receive "extras," and that these additions illustrate the need to update the County's school construction standards. Katrina and 9 -11 had big impacts on construction costs, he added. The construction standards need to reflect some amount of flexibility and need to have a cost - monitoring component. 4