THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 8, 1997 TAG: 9701080347
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JEFFREY S. HAMPTON
CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: 64 lines
Thanks to its $13.2 million share of a state school bond, Pasquotank County hopes to build a long-needed new high school by the year 2000.
The Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County School Board is in the unusual position of planning a new school with the money almost in hand.
``We've never been in this situation before,'' said member Matt Wood during Monday's meeting of the board. ``The plans are always way ahead of the money.''
The board must send tentative plans for the high school to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction by Friday to qualify for the money. Because of the rush, the board, with the help of Boney Architects of Wilmington, compiled vital statistics for the new school without much public input:
Site: Next to Northside Elementary School, five miles north of Elizabeth City.
Capacity: 800 students at first. Common areas such as cafeteria, library and hall space will be large enough to handle an expansion of classroom space to hold 1,200 students.
Size: 144,000 square feet.
Cost: $17.7 million.
Timeline: Construction to begin in February or March 1998. School to open by fall of 2000.
``We can come back and make changes,'' said Superintendent Dr. Joseph W. Peel.
Northeastern is the only high school in the county. With a current enrollment of 1,675, the school is well over its capacity of 1,250.
``We've been adding trailers every year for the last five years,'' said Peel.
The School Board must present its plans for a high school to the county commissioners on Wednesday. Approval should come easily. Several board members have said that a new high school is essential.
Voters passed a $1.8 billion statewide bond referendum in November. The counties now have to lay claim to their share of the money with specific school construction plans.
County commissioners hope to add $2 million in Critical Needs funds toward the high school but will still have to come up with at least another $2.5 million.
Pasquotank County has spent $26 million on schools since 1992, including a new middle school that will open this fall. The county is well over the match required by the state to receive the bond money. Some counties are scrambling to raise their matching funds, which vary in ratio. Pasquotank County's match was about $1 for every $4, said Peel.
``We could very easily be sitting here using the $13.2 million for the stuff we're already doing,'' said Pat McDowell, chairman of the school board. ``We're very fortunate to be ahead of the game.''
When the School Board appears before the commissioners with its wish list, it will include two other separate school construction projects.
The School Board wants to open H.L. Trigg Elementary School as an alternative school for troubled children by fall. The board plans to ask the commissioners for $150,000 to renovate it.
Another high priority is renovation of Sheep-Harney Elementary School, at an approximate cost of $2.5 million. The school needs a new cafeteria, a multipurpose room and $500,000 worth of renovations to the auditorium.