Orange County NC Website
A{I~I,„~,+4 <br />NEW SCHOOLS AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS <br />Construction of new schools often includes work associated with road and utility <br />improvements not directly associated with the building or located on the school property. <br />This non-related work is expensive and can consume a major portion of the project <br />budget. Some specific examples include: <br />• When East Chapel Hill High School was built in 1996, Weaver Dairy Road was <br />widened and paved, OWASA lines were improved and relocated, and electric <br />lines were buried. Approximately $1,000,000 was spent for these improvements. <br />• Smith Middle School was built on existing district owned property in 2001. <br />Associated costs for improvements to Seawell School Road and High School <br />Road exceeded $500,000. <br />• In 2007, Carrboro High School opened. Included in this project were intersection <br />improvements at Smith Level Road and the paving of Rock Haven Road. The <br />cost for these improvements exceeded $750,000. Additionally, more than <br />$400,000 was spent to extend Rock Haven Road and connect it with Tar Hill <br />Road. <br />• Morris Grove Elementary School opened in 2008. Eubanks Road improvements, <br />installation of a roundabout and a section of a future connector road have been <br />completed. Initial utility improvements at the intersection of Eubanks Road and <br />Old 86 have also been finished. To date, the cost for these improvements is over <br />$800,000. <br />Interestingly, Scroggs and Rashkis Elementary Schools were built within new <br />developments at Southern Village and Meadowmont. In both cases, offsite infrastructure <br />work was not required as part of the school project. Instead, associated improvements <br />were addressed by the developers. <br />Storm water management costs are also required in every new school project. The most <br />recent costs associated with the Morris Grove project exceeded $660,000. While storm <br />water management costs are high, they are included in the project not only to meet <br />regulatory requirements but also to comply with CHCCS High Performance Building <br />Design Criteria Policy 9040. <br />