THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 16, 1995 TAG: 9501160063
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Should Pasquotank County officials ask voters to approve the school district's first bond referendum in more than a quarter-century? That's the question a committee of county commissioners and school officials will decide in the coming weeks.
Composed of three members each from the Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners and the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Board of Education, the committee will hold its first meeting Wednesday.
Last week, commissioners approved a $10 million package based on suggestions in a long-term plan presented by the school board in December. The package focuses on upgrading elementary schools with renovations and classroom additions.
But to keep pace with a system that's buying about 10 modular classroom units a year, officials say one new school - or maybe two - will have to be built in the near future.
Looking at recommendations in the original schools plan and a proposal made last week by Commission Chairman Zee Lamb, committee members are expected to consider building a middle school for around $9 million or seeking another $14 million for a new high school.
In either case, officials said, a school bond referendum would be likely. It would be the first one since the construction of Northeastern High School in the late 1960s.
``When you're talking about this kind of money, I think it's time to hear directly from the voters,'' said Lamb, who last week proposed adding a new high school to existing construction plans.
Officials agree that the district cannot go for long without a new high school. But the original schools plan had suggested dealing with the more immediate need of a middle school first.
But Lamb said it would be easier to get a $23 million referendum passed in one fell swoop.
If the county seeks funds for both buildings in a single referendum, Lamb said, bonds would still be issued in chunks - starting with about $9 million for a middle school and following up a year or two later with funds for the high school.
Lamb also proposed making sure that every student in the county attends one of the two new schools. Students attending the new middle school would go to the old high school, and vice versa, he said.
Committee members said they will discuss a number of alternatives, including rejection in the bond referendum. They said they expect to bring something back to the full boards soon.
``I would hope that we can go ahead and do something in fairly short order,'' said School Board Chairman Marion Harris.
The commitee had no formal agenda for Wednesday, Harris said on Friday. Chairmanship of the committee was ``sort of up in the air,'' he said.
``I think it's a matter of people just thinking about the plan that we have and any alternatives that may be available,'' Harris said. County officials will meet with the state's Local Government Commission on Jan. 25 to discuss financing for the $10 million phase approved last Monday, County Manager Randy Keaton said. Officials are considering issuing certificates of participation, which are similar to bonds and would give the county more time to pay off its debt than a bank loan, Keaton said.
The $10 million would cover a $3.8 million renovation of J.C. Sawyer Elementary, which would allow school officials to close H.L. Trigg nearby. Central, Northside and Pasquotank elementary schools are also scheduled to be renovated and expanded. About $2 million has already been spent on the existing middle and high schools. by CNB