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Architects unveiled updated design plans for Frederick Douglass Elementary School to the Wilson County Board of Education on Monday. Skinner Farlow Kirwin Architecture of Raleigh and Barnhill Contracting Co. provided details about the project during a school board management committee meeting Monday ahead of the board’s regular monthly meeting.
“We reduced the square footage, but I think we ended up with a building that you can be proud of,” said architect Brad Farlow. “There are no changes to the main layout.”
The school’s design was tweaked in an effort to reduce costs and stay within the $32 million budget set by county commissioners. The $32 million budget includes demolition and design fees, leaving about $28 million for construction and furnishings. The new plan cuts millions of dollars in costs from the previous design.
Documents show that in the newly updated design plan, the school has an area of 66,599 square feet, has 25 teaching spaces, and can accommodate 382 students. Core areas such as the cafeteria and media center can accommodate 600 people.
The architects did provide options for the design of the area and the possibility of future expansion. Frederick Douglass currently has approximately 330 students.
Project cost range
Joey Wilkins of Barnhill Contracting Co. also provided an updated timeline and cost estimate for the project. Demolition and early site work at the Elm City School has been underway since mid-February.
Wilkins said last fall, when the design project was 60 percent complete, the school’s budget was $40 million. He said Barnhill recently updated the numbers with a new design. He said the project could cost $28 million to $33 million. Barnhill is seeing more subcontractors bidding on public projects, which drives down costs, he said.
“We don’t like to give ranges, but in this market, that’s the best way to try and explain it,” he said. “We won’t know until the bids come in. We’ve already pre-qualified the project. It’s still early stages. That’s going to be where we get the price down on the open market.
Wilkins said subcontractor bids will likely go out by the end of May, with final board approval in mid-July and construction starting soon.
Vice Chairman Henry Mercer wanted to know if the bid was lower than expected and if the district could include additional items in the construction.
“All of these added alternatives will be fully engineered and ready to go,” Farlow said. The architects said they have designed 10 alternative add-ons.
Mercer remains concerned about capacity data. He said he knew the architect was trying to stick to the budget.
“no”
School board member Beverly Boyette expressed concerns about the design and location of the cafeteria and kitchen.
“For elementary schools, cafeterias and kitchens cannot be on opposite sides of a hallway,” Boyette said. “Kindergarten, first grade, no one should be carrying a tray down the hallway to the cafeteria.” She also pointed out that the cafeteria and kitchen are located near the bus drop-off entrance. She said this was also a problem in the morning.
“We serve breakfast every morning,” Boyette said. “We could very well have buses unloading while those who have already come in are trying to eat breakfast and walk through that hall.”
The cafeteria and kitchen need to be in the same enclosed area so students don’t have to walk through busy hallways, she said.
Boyette also pointed out that the current design does not have a covered walkway. She said this was only included in the add-on design.
“Elementary schools must have a covered walkway,” she said.
Architects say they will study the proposals and come up with some options.
Other matters discussed at regular meetings of the Board of Directors
• School board members unanimously approved a joint resolution with county commissioners to enter into a lease-purchase option contract for nine activity buses. The board also unanimously approved a $1.19 million contract with Daimler Truck Finance to purchase the nine event buses. Interest totals $1.4 million, with annual payments of approximately $287,344 over five years.
• School board members unanimously passed a resolution asking county commissioners to approve the use of $1.3 million in capital outlay funds to renovate Bedingfield High School classrooms, play arts design, culinary arts and any subsequent changes to the Wilson County Schools heating, ventilation and air conditioning program instruction.
• School board members unanimously approved a $93,717.32 contract with Point Security to provide Open Gates weapons detection systems to Beddingfield, Fike and Hunt high schools. The board also approved a $380,221.51 contract with Alliance Technology Group to provide Evolv weapons detection systems to Beddingfield, Fike and Hunt high schools. In February, Wilson County Schools received a $400,000 safety grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Center for Safe Schools.
• The board also unanimously approved a local regular budget of about $28 million for 2024-25, which includes a 2 percent increase in teacher grants. The district is also requesting $1.25 million in capital expenditures. Chairwoman Christine Fitch said the budget will now go to the county commissioners to meet the deadlines. Sheriff Ryan Mills will present his budget to commissioners next week.
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