County boards select high school property

By Scott Nicholson

nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

About 200 people turned out at a public hearing where the county commissioners and school board announced plans for the future of Watauga high school.

The boards’ working plans are to establish a $36 million asking price for the current 75-acre high school property and pursue an 85-acre land purchase and new construction on the eastern side of Boone in the Perkinsville area.

A subcommittee comprised of members of both boards gave a report to open the hearing, with commission chairman Jim Deal doing most of the speaking. “Tonight’s another step in a process in which we’ve been engaged for a year and a half,” Deal said. “This is another step in that process.”

He said the boards had examined all the relevant issues and listened to all opinions on the matter. He said the committee’s premise was to give all students the best educational facilities to “enable young people to be successful in life” and to be “educated for the jobs of tomorrow, not the jobs of 50 years ago.”

Deal said the discussion on the future of a high school had been going on for 20 years, mentioning a failed bond referendum in the 1980's to build a second high school. Deal said one of the questions was why the boards appeared to be changing direction during the planning process. Deal said new information keep coming in, and that an estimate of renovation costs came in at nearly $35 million. He said plumbing, wiring and other systems would have to be overhauled.

“Nobody’s discussed where the kids would be going to school while this building was being renovated,” Deal said. He said the committee was concerned about how long phased construction would take, and safety concerns would arise if workers were in areas where students were taking classes. He said the cost would also be higher because contractors would have to work around the school schedule during a renovation.

Deal said a study committee, holding hearings around the county, made a recommendation to build a new school. Deal said money spent on considering building a new facility at the current site was well spent, with estimates coming in between $43 million and $48 million, and said there would still be problems with new construction at the current site, and there wouldn’t be adequate facilities for vocational training.

“I’ve attended all these meetings and I hear numbers that have never come out of any of the meetings,” Deal said in disputing some published cost estimates. “They’re just pulled out of the air.”

Deal said a lot of problems the school system is facing was because of cutting corners in previous efforts, and said short-term solutions weren’t the best. He said not all students wanted to go to a four–year college, and said vocational students should be provided with skills in high school so they could make a good living. “We looked at what the programs would end up being, and what the cost would end up being,” Deal said. He said parking would be a problem if construction was taking place at the school, and that it was used for many community events.

Reese said the board had looked at 10 sites, but some didn’t meet the criteria the boards had established. Terrain and location were unsuitable in a couple of cases. “Quite frankly, we could not find an appropriate site for many, many months,” Reese said. “Over that time, more options became available.”

RECOMMENDING A NEW SITE

The Perkinsville site goes from Old U.S. 421, encompassing several tracts of land, including some private homes and a 59-acre site owned by Appalachian State University. The site has a stream near the Greenway Trail, with a cemetery that would require examination and movement of the grave sites, according to state law. Architects estimated site work would cost $2.95 million. Contracts would be contingent on satisfactory soil test results. The architects “highly recommended” the Perkinsville site, which has additional property which could house a YMCA or recreation center.

All contracts haven’t been finalized, and none have been signed, but Deal said the boards’ goal is to pay about $7 million for the Perkinsville properties. Athletic facilities would cost $5 million, which would include artificial turf for the football field. He also said some roads would be altered in the area.

 “We do not want any traffic coming through any neighborhood near the high school property,” Deal said. The high school would have a cul de sac, with one entrance off of Old U.S. 421. The N.C. DOT suggested a new intersection with a stop light near the Watauga County Industrial Park, coming to a dead end on Old U.S. 421 at the high school. Deal said it would help traffic at the industrial park and move it away from New Market Centre. Town of Boone water and sewer service is already available on the property.

The building will be located near Daniel Boone Drive, with the football stadium on the back side of the building. Tennis courts and walking tracks will be convenient to the public, Deal said. Buffers and trees would be planted to help shield surrounding residential properties. “The idea is to maximize the site, not just for the high school, but for the community as a whole,” Deal said. “There’s not a perfect place.”

Deal said the traffic situation would be improved, but some people would be inconvenienced. He said plans called for an 800-seat community theater, with adequate parking, at the front of the building that could be used when the school was closed. Deal said a recreational facility or YMCA could integrate services with the high school, which would help some students stay in school, and said no other site provided enough land to build a recreational facility.

The boards had asked architects to study two other potential properties. The 58-acre Bolick property, which was under contract to a developer at one time, was considered, with a site preparation estimate of $4.2 million. Engineers said the Bolick property, located on U.S. 421, was too small, had flood issues, and would require a lot of dirt moving.

The 65-acre Brown property, located near the N.C. 105 and N.C. 105 Bypass, was also considered. Addressing standing water on the heavily wooded property, relocating a cell tower, and grading would cost $10 million worth of site work, according to architects.

FUNDING THE NEW SCHOOL

Deal said the committee had also considered the sale of the current facility and said the boards didn’t want to pay rent on a school building during construction. The committee recommended a price of $36 million, with the purchaser putting down a $10 million nonrefundable deposit, but the property deal won’t close until the new school is finished. The developer would receive any interest earned on the deposit. The county won’t pay taxes or rent under that plan.

“We will continue to negotiate with parties throughout the process,” Deal said, adding that if they didn’t get the desired offer, the boards would finish the new school, and then sell the current property. Deal said advisers said the boards would receive more money in three or four years than they could at present.

Deal called the approach “conservative,” and said the committee was confident of a sale at the desired price or more. He said there was “continuing serious interest” in the property because developers realized there was no other property of its size to accommodate mixed-use development in Boone, and that five formal offers had been submitted so far.

Deal said the county would borrow the money to build the facility. Estimate for total project cost is $65 million, which includes facilities, athletic fields, roads, site preparation and planning. He estimated a balance of $33 million after the sale of the property. He said the county could continue the tax increase adopted last year to fund school construction, and said with normal growth, it would pay for the school over 20 years. That 4.5 cents per $100 valuation adopted in 2005 dropped to 3.4 cents after revaluation. “When you hear there’s going to be a tax increase to pay for this building, it’s simply not true,” he said.

Deal said a major renovation would take 10 years if phased slowly, or children could suffer for two to four years while construction was underway for a new building in the current high school site. He said the county and school board would retain control of the current property during the construction process.

Deal said it was the best decision for the students’ educational programs, meeting the goals and needs of “20020, 2030, and 2040.” “We felt a new building at a new site was the only possible choice,” Deal said.

Deal said a new school at a new site was the best decision for taxpayers as well, since it would cost less to build on a new site, after the sale of the high school property, than to build a new facility at the current 75-acre property. He also said the purchase offers on the current property exceeded informal appraisal amounts.

Deal also said the boards had promised to come to the public “at the right time.” He said he was sorry some people would be inconvenienced or lose their homes. He said three houses were on the combined property, which he said was “pretty remarkable” for an 85-acre tract in Boone. He said the usable space would expand by 20 to 25 acres, which was why the site was recommended by the subcommitee.

AUDIENCE QUESTIONS

Board members then answered written questions taken from the audience. Reese said the board changed direction because renovation costs came in higher than originally expected and new properties came on the market during the planning process. He also said during the feasibility study process, several options had been put before the public, with the majority supporting one high school on a new site. Reese said construction would take up to three years. School board member Steve Combs said an early plan considered had been for two schools, but the goal was now to build the best high school possible.

Deal said the Perkinsville site was “clearly the far superior choice.” Deal said there was no referendum because there was no question that the high school issue had to be addressed. “The only question is what do we do, and how do we pay for it?”  he said.

Deal challenged those opposing the plan to visit the high school while students were changing classes and when windows wouldn’t open. He also said the surrounding community in Perkinsville hadn’t been contacted because negotiations were still ongoing.

Deal acknowledged that some people would have to drive farther from the west end of the county, but hoped planned state highway improvements would help with traffic flow.  Deal said the county wasn’t paying a sales commission and that anyone representing the deal would not be compensated by the county or school board. Deal said at least five serious written offers had been received, the highest being for a baseline figure of $33 million. He said the property would continue to increase in value and regular annual growth would generate enough funds to pay for the school without additional tax increases.

During a recess, Dan Shelton, president of the high school booster club, aproved of the plan. “I love it,” he said. “Move forward.”

Jerry Moretz, a teacher and coach at the high school, said teachers were excited to be getting a new school, with adequate space and the capacity to meet modern instructional needs.

The school board unanimously approved the plan and deeded the current property to Watauga County. The commissioners accepted the property deed and agreed to acquire the Perkinsville property and commit funding for a new high school funding. The vote was 4-0, with commissioner David Blust not present. The commissioners also adopted a resolution to continue setting aside the 2005 tax increase through future years to raise revenue earmarked for the high school construction.

Commissioner Keith Honeycutt clarified his position on past budget votes, saying he’d supported a lower tax increase for high school construction in 2005, preferring to wait until after the property revaluation to further adjust the tax rate. He said he’d thought about voting against the project, and said in talking with people in real estate said the high school shouldn’t pay rent. “That’s why I’m voting for this project tonight,” he said, though he was reluctant to remove people from their homes.