The Halifax County Schools Trustee directed the project manager and architects of the Halifax County High School Project to make cost-cutting adjustments to the plan.
The Board of Trustees agreed that the new school’s career and technical education department would only have four car bays instead of six. They made a decision at a Thursday night meeting, which was rescheduled from their usual Monday night time slot due to the Columbus Day holiday.
“It’s important that you make these decisions tonight,” said Vincent Maresca of project management firm Skanska.
After asking about the car hangar and whether he would like the school gymnasium to remain a two-story design or change to a simple one-story design, Maresca said: I was. The management board instructed Maresca to stick to his two-story design of the gym.
Eliminating the two car bays saves $280,000 on the new high school’s $125.5 million price tag.
Vice-Chair Roy Keith Lloyd made a motion to reduce the number of car bays from six to four, and ED-4 Board member Jay Camp voted in favor of the motion. The vote was unanimous.
The Board of Trustees’ decision came after recently learning that the estimated cost of the high school project would be $16.5 million, exceeding the $109 million budget for the project. They approached the Halifax County Board of Supervisors for additional funding for the project to fill the gap, but the board decided not to give them additional funding.
Grimm + Parker Architects partner Jim Boyd told the board that the new high school’s design includes six car bays, before the board of trustees decided to cut costs Thursday night. car bay. However, Boyd says he only has four of those bays in active use, with his remaining two used for storage.
“Four bays should work well,” he commented.
ED-5 trustee Freddie Edmunds offered his views on the importance of building new high schools and offered his thoughts on the oversight board’s “no” response to additional funding for school projects. shared.
“The Board of Supervisors always votes ‘No’ when it comes to education in this county.” As for teacher salaries and staff salaries, “No,” Edmonds said. “Don’t waste my tax dollars. When it comes to education, it’s ‘no.'” We spent more money on new courts and prisons than we spent on education in this community. “
Edmunds continues: can not understand. Here in Halifax County, she has 4,400 children who attend these schools, but she doesn’t want to invest in their education. We also plan to continue sending our children to the schools that were built at 50 and her 60. Do nothing to them….we have to move forward. “
ED-6 trustee Lacey Shotwell encouraged the board to move forward with plans for the new high school, citing potential sources of funding for the new schools, such as the district’s proposed Virginia Public Schools Construction Grant. I commented that I would. application.
“Everyone says[the chances of getting a grant]are very high,” says Shotwell. “Otherwise, there are other options. I think there are multiple different options for how to do that.”
Superintendent of Education Dr. Amy Haskin provided an update on state grant applications at Thursday’s meeting. Halifax County Public Schools is expected to receive up to $30 million in grants for high school construction projects. Grant applications are not yet available, but Huskin said HCPS is ready to submit a strong application. She said she expects the grant to be announced in the spring of 2023.
“We’re 32nd in state financial strength, and we have a shovel-ready project. We’re really stepping up our high school project submissions,” Huskin said. “I will make sure my application is reviewed and maximize my chances of getting every possible dollar. And I have a lot of hope. I’m an optimist.”
ED-3 trustee Melissa Hicks advised other board members to be cautious about how much money they spend on their new high school.
“There’s a lot to keep track of over the next few years, so I think we need to be careful with our spending,” Hicks said. “The referendum was about capital projects, not high school construction projects.”
Halifax County taxpayers voted in a 1% sales tax referendum on capital school projects in November 2019. That income is expected to fund her $105 million high school project.
Hicks also asked Maresca to reveal her new high school life. Maresca said the new school would have a lifespan of “50 to 70 years.”
Several members of the public spoke out at Thursday’s meeting, urging the school board to continue moving forward with plans to build a new high school.
“This board needs to move forward. Time is of the essence,” Detra Carr urged the trustees. “If we want to be competitive with our neighbors, we must move forward or we will be left behind.”
Carr also advised not to let the trustees follow the oversight board’s decision not to advance them with additional funds for the high school project in order to keep the plans in place to complete the project.
“Don’t let anyone get in your way or sidetrack you from the responsibilities you have to do,” Carr told the trustee.
Barbara Coleman-Brown also called the state of the county’s public schools “horrible” and urged trustees not to delay plans for new schools any further.
“What happened? Did we do our due diligence?” asked Coleman Brown. “Politics played out, belated delays. Now we’ve come to a point where the oversight board couldn’t fund it because they didn’t have it. Who’s suffering? My children.” “
Coleman-Brown continued to emphasize the need for a new high school.
“Why are you pushing our kids into the 20th century? Because it’s gone,” she said. “Halifax County may have its eyes closed and its head in the sand, but I assure you that other places are not.”
Another citizen, Jack Dunavant, asked the board to “take your time” in making decisions for a new high school, saying, “This board has four or five different options as to what to do. There is.
Dunavant also said he still opposes building the new high school on selected sites nearer to its current location off Old Halifax Road. That’s because it’s behind a gas station, and people who pass by the school can only see it from the “back view.” mirror. “
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