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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-03-30 Special Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, MARCH 30, 2000 BOOK 27 PAGE 882 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met in joint session with the New Hanover County Board of Education on Thursday, March 30,2000, at 6:00 p.m. in the Cafeteria of the Dorothy B. Johnson Elementary School, 1100 McRae Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Commissioner Buzz Birzenieks; Commissioner Ted Davis, Jr; Commissioner Charles R. Howell; Vice-Chairman Robert G. Greer; Chairman William A. Caster; County Manager, Allen 0 'Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Members present from the Board of Education were: Chairman Edward B. Higgins; Vice- Chairman Donald S. Hayes; Steven M. Bilzi; Oscar A. Graham; Debbie Keck; Andy Wells; and Nancy Wigley. Chairman Caster and Chairman Higgins called their respective Boards to order and stated the purpose of the meeting was to discuss items of mutual interest. Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell, gave the invocation. STATUS REPORT ON VETERANS PARK Chairman Caster requested Assistant County Manager, Dave Weaver, to present a brief status report on activities at Veterans Park. Assistant County Manager Weaver reported that bids had been submitted for Phase IB of the project, which will include roads, sewer, drinking water, electrical work, landscaping, and a pump house. Bids were awarded to a single contractor, Thomlinson Construction Company, at a cost of $2.4 million. This includes all work in Phase IB except for the water tank. The contract for the water tank was awarded to a single contractor, Paul Wells, to construct a 500,000 gallon tank at a cost of$630,000. In closing, Assistant County Manager Weaver advised that all work should be completed by December 1, 2000. Under a worst case scenario, the work should be done no later than the end of February, 2001. The total budget for the project is $7.4 million, and the actual cost based on present estimates is $5 million. Mr. Bilzi asked if the completion dates will fit into the Board of Education' s schedule for the opening of schools. Mr. Anderson responded that meetings have been held weekly with the County Staff and consultants to be sure the projects will coincide with the construction schedule outlined by the Board of Education. The school building project should be completed by May 31, 2001, which will be ample time before the opening of schools in August 2001. Mr. Anderson reported on the 2nd floor concrete slab that fell during the past week and advised that no one was injured. A structural engineer at Boney Architects has verified that the beam was designed and specified to adequately support the structure. It is too early to speculate on the cause; however, once the beam is removed, more tests will be performed to determine the cause. In closing, Mr. Anderson invited everyone to tour the site, and reported that the contractor was performing an excellent job. The next major project will be roofing, which will enable the interior work to begin. Mr. Anderson reported that hurricanes have impacted the completion schedule of new construction, but Staff has been pleased with how the contractor responded. The completion date of May 2000 was shifted to mid-June, but the contractor has just committed to keeping the original contract date of May. The Rachel Freeman School should be open by August. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, MARCH 30, 2000 BOOK 27 PAGE 883 Mr. Anderson advised that Parsley School was scheduled to open in the fall 2001. A single prime contract was recently awarded to Clancy and Theys, a local contractor. Notice was issued to proceed with construction last Monday and the construction activity should begin within the next few weeks. DISCUSSION OF SCHOOL BUDGET Ms. Wigley, Chairman of the Finance Committee, advised that the Finance Committee had just finished its task and was ready to present the budget to the Board of Education and then to the Board of Commissioners. She presented the following report on the budget process. A few years ago, the teacher supplement was increased to $2,500 across-the-board; however most school systems use a percentage of salary based on the number of service years. In order to make this change in the New Hanover County School System, the cost will be slightly more than $2 million. With the problems being experienced in recruitment of new teachers, the Finance Committee feels this change should be made. The State has requested school systems to review LEA experience for three groups: custodians, assistant teachers and office workers. After a review of the experience of these groups, it is recommended that a 2% across-the-board increase be given to everyone that is not a certified teacher, and funding has been included in the budget. Unfunded mandates for EC step increases, as required by the State, are included in the budget. Language arts coordinators are being requested for the 4th year, and nurses are needed in the elementary schools due to the high use of prescriptions taken by children. Commissioner Birzenieks asked how many teachers, counting other employees, are fully funded by the county. New Hanover County Budget Director, Cam Griffin responded that 700 positions are fully funded by New Hanover County, which includes approximately 100 teachers. Most of the administrators and teachers are funded by the state because they are the highest paid employees. In closing, Ms. Wigley commented on the work given by the Finance Committee to present a budget to meet the needs of the School System in cost-effective manner, and she requested the Board of County Commissioners to support the budget request that will be presented by the Board of Education because the items requested are truly needed. DISCUSSION OF CAPITAL OUTLAY FOR AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) AND OSHA REQUIREMENTS Mr. Bill Hance reported that approximately $4.9 million was earmarked in the State Bond Referendum to assist schools with complying to ADA requirements over a 4 to 5 year period. This mandate also included buildings constructed since 1979, which will require an additional $733,000 of funding. The Board of Education will be requesting County funding for the difference in order to comply with ADA requirements. A program and schedule have been developed by working with the Department of Civil Rights, and approval has been received to accomplish this project within the specified time frame. Chairman Higgins stated that the Board of Education will be asking the County to fund ADA projects, and he presented a chart reflecting the following funding needed for ADA compliance: Year 1 1999-2000 $2,972,086 (funded by 1996 bonds) Year 2 2000-2001 $1,963,354 ($1,229,74 funded by 1996 bonds $ 733,608 local funding) Year 3 2001-2002 $1,680,205 Local funding NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, MARCH 30, 2000 BOOK 27 PAGE 884 Year 4 2002-2003 $1,690,509 Local funding Year 5 2003-2004 $1,461,602 Local Funding County Manager O'Neal asked why there was a need for ADA renovations at Holly Tree Elementary, which is a relatively new building. Mr. Hance responded that ADA code requirements have changed for playground access since the Holly Tree Elementary School was constructed. The mandate grandfathered in schools constructed prior to 1979, but schools constructed after this date have to be renovated to comply with ADA standards within the 4 to 5 year time frame. Mr. Bilzi commented on the unfunded mandates for Special Education and said the funding difference will have to be provided on the local level. Since 1978, the New Hanover County School System should have received 40% of federal funding for Special Education but only 7% has been received. Each year, the School Administrative Staff requests its share of federal funding with very little success. Mr. Bilzi stressed the importance of everyone understanding that the School System is trying to catch up, and he stated it would take $1.9 billion to comply to the requests made by the federal government since 1978. He strongly objected to state and federal mandates without funding for the programs. Vice-Chairman Greer agreed with Mr. Bilzi and stated that a concentrated effort must be made by local governments to change the system because counties and municipalities cannot continue to fund mandate programs with no funding assistance. Discussion was held on OSHA requirements. Dr. Morris stated in this year's budget Staff identified approximately $5.5 million in OSHA projects. Some items are fairly critical, especially at Pine Valley Elementary School and Carolina Beach Elementary School. A majority of these issues are related to indoor air quality, and the School System cannot ignore these issues. The funding allocated in this year's budget has been spent, and funds from other construction projects were used to pay for OSHA projects. In concluding his remarks, Dr. Morris advised that OSHA projects are usually determined in- house and verified by outside experts before renovations are made to comply to code standards. One of the worst areas found was the Administration Annex Building. Recently, the Board of Education allocated $1 million from the Fund Balance to begin design and preliminary work on several OSHA projects that are anticipated to start next year. Commissioner Birzenieks said the time has come for all elected officials to go to Raleigh and Washington to oppose unfunded mandates. This action will take a concerted effort across the state to get the necessary officials to appear before the General Assembly and U. S. Congress to let our legislators and congressmen know our feelings about unfunded mandates and the impact ofthis action on local governments. After discussion, both Boards agreed that an effort should be made to challenge unfunded mandates. DISCUSSION OF FUTURE SCHOOL BOND ISSUES Chairman Higgins commented on future needs for the schools and stated that a bond referendum would be requested in October, 2001. He presented the following list of needs: 1. A new middle school will be needed in the northern part of the county within two to three years. 2. Gymnasium facilities at both Laney and Hoggard High Schools need to be completely renovated. 3. The New Hanover High School renovation plan needs to be completed. This plan includes a new science building and performing arts center. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, MARCH 30, 2000 BOOK 27 PAGE 885 4. Renovations and repairs need to be made at J.C. Rowe and Snipes Schools. Currently $2 million is being spent on Snipes, but the work is basically cosmetic. In closing, Dr. Morris stated with current discussion on the State level for a reduction in classroom sizes, the School System must plan for the future and provide the facilities needed. Discussion followed on the number of new schools that have been opened and the percentage of students that will occupy these facilities. Mr. Anderson responded that approximately 20-25% of students will be in brand new facilities, which is a compliment to New Hanover County and the School System. NEXT MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JULY 27, 2000 Chairman Caster requested both Boards to consider scheduling the next joint meeting on July 27, 2000. After discussion, both Boards agreed to schedule the next meeting on July 27,2000, at 6:00 p.m. at either Coddington or Eaton Elementary schools. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Higgins expressed appreciation to Ms. Jackie O'Grady, Principal of Dorothy B. Johnson Elementary School, for hosting the meeting and dinner. He congratulated Mr. 0' Grady for the high achievement in this school, which is 40% black and draws from an economically poor area. On behalf of the Board, Chairman Caster expressed appreciation to Ms. 0' Grady for hosting the meeting and stated it was refreshing to see a school with a high quality of education that was so well maintained. Chairman Caster and Chairman Higgins adjourned their respective Boards at 7:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lucie F. Harrell Clerk to the Board