High school price

tag to be discussed
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

County taxpayers could get a rough glimpse of the final price tag for the new Watauga High School after Tuesday’s joint meeting of the county commissioners and school board.

The contracting team of Barnhill/Vannoy will be presenting a guaranteed maximum price for the high school building, along with more specific floor plans and architectural designs.

The boards will likely approve the guaranteed price, which offers the county the opportunity to save money on line items that come in under budget.

The county has already allocated $20,936,720 to the project, according to the finance department. That includes the land purchases that assembled the 94-acre site in eastern Boone, full architectural fees, a steel package for the project, site preparation and grading, archaeological work, traffic studies, grave relocation and environmental assessments.

The submitted price will include the cost of the main instructional facility and will give the county a rough idea of the final cost.

In previous joint meetings concerning guaranteed maximum prices, both boards have approved their acceptance, though Watauga County is the fiscally responsible party.

The county is pursuing certificates of participation to fund the school rather than seeking a bond referendum.
Contractors have recently reported they were about 5 percent ahead of schedule, with the building expected to be open for the 2010-11 school year.

The meeting is at 6 p.m. in the Watauga County administrative building in downtown Boone.