THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 15, 1994 TAG: 9412150427
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank School Board has recommended spending $24 million on school construction and renovation within the next five years to keep pace with climbing enrollment and building needs.
The recommendation, in the form of a report prepared by Boney Architects of Wilmington, was presented to Pasquotank County commissioners at a joint meeting Wednesday.
The report recommends building a second middle school for about $11 million, closing H.L. Trigg Elementary and reorganizing schools to group children by grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
Also proposed is a $5 million renovation of J.C. Sawyer Elementary, which now sends rising fourth-graders to H.L. Trigg but would retain fourth- and fifth-graders under the plan.
Seven of the system's 10 schools now exceed student capacity set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the report says. Counting the system's 59 exceptional children and prekindergarten students, not technically figured into capacity numbers, eight schools have more students than recommended.
The proposed changes would boost total school capacity to 6,831 in five years, a number that would accommodate students in grades K-8 but leave the high school overcrowded by nearly 600 students in projected 2001-2002 enrollment.
School Board members noted that the recommendations are preliminary and could change, but the report for the first time lays out a full range of information on the capacity and potential of each school.
``What we have here is some hard-and-fast data, as much as we can get it,'' School Board Chairman Marion Harris said. ``We think this is probably as good a job as we've ever had projecting the needs of the school system.''
The report recommends construction in two phases, beginning with an $8 million phase focusing on the existing middle school and J.C. Sawyer. The county has already committed to spending the $8 million for capital projects, and nearly $2 million has already been spent on renovations to the middle school and the addition of a field house at the high school.
The second phase includes $16 million in spending on the new middle school and the rest of the elementary schools. Bonds may have to be issued to finance portions of the plan, but funding has yet to be discussed in detail.
Commissioners and School Board members touched on details of the plan but agreed to meet again early next month to hash out spending for the first phase and the financial possibilities of the second.
``It's all flexible as far as I'm concerned,'' School Board member Matt Wood said. ``What we're trying to do is get the issue on the table.''
Primary questions focused on whether there were alternatives to building a new middle school. The boards had earlier considered converting Pasquotank Elementary to a middle school but scrapped the idea when cost estimates exceeded projections. Commissioners were also concerned about spending $5 million on an existing school, J.C. Sawyer.
The report's last page identifies nine more major projects that will need attention down the line, including a new high school, a central office addition and compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Superintendent Joseph Peel said after the meeting that construction worries are plaguing many systems throughout the state.
``It's an overwhelming problem,'' Peel said. ``It really is.'' ILLUSTRATION: Chart
Fixing the schools and costs
For complete information see microfilm
by CNB