Orange County NC Website
Roofing $5,065,404 6 <br /> Equipment $15,621,950 <br /> General Renovations $1,473,743 <br /> Emergency/Security System $989,370 <br /> Door&Window Replacement $245,201 <br /> Energy Management $474,347 <br /> Technology $13,564,939 <br /> Abatement $688,333 <br /> Other (Recurring Capital) $15,832,253 <br /> Total $154,635,310 <br /> Orange County is not alone in dealing with aging school facilities. Wake, Guilford, <br /> and Durham Counties have undertaken substantial initiatives to comprehensively <br /> address the capital needs of schools. <br /> The work group sees value in collaboration and coordinating capital efforts across <br /> the BOCC, county staff and two school districts. The county is responsible for <br /> allocating capital funds amongst the schools and county capital needs. The school <br /> districts are responsible for managing their individual facilities to best meet local <br /> needs. In that context,the workgroup is interested in continuing to explore ways to <br /> improve efficiencies and transparency, and to better inform decision-making around <br /> the capital needs for all its schools. <br /> FINDINGS <br /> • Facility Planning/Standards <br /> o Updated facilities studies are needed for our public schools. OCS is <br /> planning to start a new study in the coming school year. CHCCS is <br /> currently undertaking an updated facility study to be completed in <br /> Spring 2023. <br /> o There are no county standards/guidelines for renovating or replacing <br /> aging school buildings. The work group discussed concerns about <br /> over-investing in buildings that should be replaced. The work group <br /> discussed how a facility condition index (FCI),which is a ratio of <br /> deferred maintenance to replacement cost, is one way to determine <br /> when a school needs to be replaced. <br /> o Orange County's School Construction Standards were last updated in <br /> 2007. These standards focus on new school construction and include <br /> traditional and non-traditional models. <br /> o School Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO) was adopted in <br /> 2003 between BOCC, school boards, and towns (except Mebane) as an <br /> attempt to ensure school capacity can meet the population growth. <br /> SAPFO has not been updated to meet the current conditions including <br /> taking into account Pre-K classrooms, space for special needs <br /> students, non-standard room sizes, model capacity assumptions, and <br /> growth in the western part of county. <br /> o Our aging school buildings do not reflect modern building standards <br /> and therefore provide sub-optimal learning environments for children <br /> with many of them <br /> 4 <br />