Orange County NC Website
Approved 11/21/00 (~ <br />-I <br />2. Site Standards <br />In accordance with North Carolina State Statutes, a local board of education cannot execute a <br />contract nor expend funds to purchase a facility site without the consent of the local board of <br />county commissioners. As each school system in Orange County plans for future school-related <br />facilities, it is important that they adhere to the following guidelines related to the potential <br />acquisition, either by purchase or donation, of a site, in addition to any siting criteria they may <br />have established internally: <br />Potential Sites -The Board of Education is to notify the Orange County Board of <br />Commissioners, in writing, whenever they have tentatively identified a potential <br />school site for purchase, or if a potential donor indicates interest in donating a site to <br />the system. The written correspondence should provide the following information for <br />Commissioner consideration: <br />• Location, including tax map numbers, of the potential site; <br />• Opportunities for additional facilities to be co-located as a park site, as <br />outlined in the "Memorandum of Agreement for Providing Coordinated Site <br />and Facility Planning"; <br />• The availability of public utilities within the urban services boundaries of the <br />County; <br />• If a donated site: <br />• Any knowledge of a donor's plans for adjacent development; <br />• Special considerations or expectations the donor may have referenced in <br />initial discussions pertaining to the donation; <br />Upon receipt of the Board of Education's notification, the Commissioners will <br />appoint, by a majority vote of the Board, a representative to work directly with the <br />Board of Education. As a partner with the school system, the Commissioner <br />representative will receive information and provide input regarding talks and <br />negotiations related to the potential site. The Commissioner representative will share <br />information regarding the progress of talks and negotiations of the potential site with <br />other members of the Board of Commissioners. <br />Environmental Factors - A school system is to pay particular attention to the physical <br />environment surrounding the site and new facility. <br />• In order to avoid future flood hazards, a facility should not be located in close <br />proximity to wetlands, stream buffers, or in a flood plain. Facility siting should <br />also avoid other physical factors that create either additional construction or <br />longer-term maintenance problems, or other unfavorable environmental impacts. <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />Policy on Planning and Funding School Capital Projects <br />