Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
February 23, 2006 issue
Superintendent Address the New Watauga High School Project
Dr. Bobbie Short, superintendent of Watauga County Schools, has released the following article addressing questions and concerns about the proposed new high school.
I would like to take this opportunity to share some facts about the proposed new Watauga High School. Several figures about the costs have been given which may make it unclear what the proposed price tags are at this point and time.
This past summer a Planning Team comprised of teachers, parents, administrators and School Board and County Commissioner representatives began work on determining the instructional space of the proposed new building. We “dreamed” and listed all of the space we would love to have. Knowing we would have to scale back, our initial plan included approximately 264,000 sq. ft. and would have carried a price tag of approximately $56,000,000.00.
The second phase of our work included bringing the square footage of the building down to a size comparable to high schools in the state with similar enrollments. Our main goal in reducing space was to protect the integrity of the instructional program. Through the diligence of the Planning Team, and with the help of feedback from the WHS faculty through the Planning Team representatives, the space was pared down to approximately 239,000 sq. ft. We worked on cutting the space to accommodate a price tag of between $40 to $43 million dollars.
To date the price tag of $43,000,000 includes: building construction - $33.9 million; demolition of present building - $1.2 million; site work/temporary parking - $1.7 million; survey, geotechnical/testing - $900,000; architect’s fee - $2.4 million; 7% contingency - $2.8 million. This price does not include new furniture and technology hardware (wiring for technology is included).
Our architects have told us it could possibly cost up to $11 million dollars for mechanical/electrical/plumbing upgrades to the current building with utility rework, water and sewer, costing an additional $500,000. This $11 million dollar figure includes electrical distribution, HVAC system replacement, toilet repairs, water distribution, fire alarm upgrades, sprinkler system, intercom upgrades, HVAC controls/piping and lighting replacement/sensors.
Other options our architects listed for improvement in the current building include: a new classroom wing (replacing classrooms in the 100 and 300 sections of the building) - $10 million; new kitchen and equipment - $1.3 million; new cafeteria – $1.4 million; new auditorium - $1.5 million; new locker rooms - $2.7 million and a new arts wing - $2.9 million. The total price tag for the items listed above (including the mechanical/electrical/plumbing upgrades) is as much as $30 million. We are currently pursuing a totally new structure for approximately $43 million.
From 1997 through 2005, $5,324,381 has been spent on high school projects. In contrast, we are sometimes compared to Watauga Medical Center which has spent approximately $38 million dollars during the past eight years for renovations and additions.
In many respects the current high school facility is inadequate to serve our needs. The average classroom size at WHS is currently 660 square feet for regular classrooms and up to 1020 square feet to accommodate science labs. The state’s recommendation for regular classrooms is 750 square feet and 1200 square feet for science labs. Our classrooms and science labs are undersized and outdated. We have problems conducting two lab classes simultaneously due to electrical constraints. We currently have 5 lunch periods serving 300 students each period in the cafeteria. The new high school will be spacious enough to serve 500 students at a time (3 lunch periods during the day). The auditorium now seats 300. The new auditorium will seat 600 and will be available to the public for community events when not in use by the school system.
There are many classrooms where we cannot turn on the ceiling fans and the computers at the same time without disrupting electrical service. Students wear coats in some classrooms on the coldest days. Even though the heat is on, these rooms do not get warm. Safety issues in the present building are worrisome to say the least. We currently have over 67 outside doors which make it impossible to secure the building. The maze-like nature of the corridors and multiple additions/renovations make supervision of all parts of the building a most challenging task. In addition our students in wheelchairs are challenged to access all parts of the building. According to our maintenance staff, approximately 25% to 50% of the heat pipes that are visible in the pipe chase are rusted and corroded. The valves on the heat pipes have some corrosion and will not shut off. We are fearful our maintenance staff may be injured when working on the heat pipes. The temperature of the hot water in the pipes could severely burn a worker if a pipe should rupture while being repaired. In addition we are dealing with water leaks on a daily basis. We are fearful of shutting off the main water supply due to the fact that we may have further water damage (bursting pipes) when the water is turned on again. These items are just a few of the challenges the current building presents.
Watauga High School, as do all of the schools in Watauga County, belongs to the citizens of the county. Our charge as a Board and educators is to provide the best academic setting for our students in the most economical way possible. The Watauga County Board of Education and administration believe a new high school is the best way to do that.
In the last few days, we have received an offer to purchase the Watauga High School site. This may provide an opportunity to further reduce the cost of a new high school. We will continue to explore this new option as a way to meet our charge to provide the best academic setting as economically as possible.
Thank you for being interested in the new high school. We appreciate your interest and support as we work to address the needs of our students and our community.