WS Chronicle

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools image

BY TODD LUCK 

THE CHRONICLE

Forsyth County commissioners approved $24.3 million for initial projects from the 2016 school bond during their Monday, April 24, meeting.

The school bond approved by voters last year contained $350 million to be spent over eight years. The first allocation of funds will go to maintenance, technology, traffic improvements and preliminary work on building projects.

Of the initial $24.3 million approved, $7.9 million will go to preliminary work on a new Robinhood Road middle school, replacement schools for Konnoak Elementary, Brunson Elementary, Lowrance Middle and Paisley High, replacements for stadiums at Mt. Tabor and Glenn high schools, additions to Easton Elementary and Wiley Middle, Pre-K additions, and Philo-Hill Middle renovation. The funds will pay for site investigation, purchasing land, design work and preparing bid documents. Once projects have been bid, then construction money will be requested.

The funds also include $7.3 million for maintenance capital projects like replacing roofs, HVAC controls, heat pumps, lighting and generators. There’s $8.6 million for new technology in the school system’s 1,840 classrooms along with new furniture and 3-D printers in media centers. There’s also $585,000 for preliminary work on traffic and safety improvements that will improve the flow of cars, students pedestrians and buses at different schools and provide shelters.

During a briefing last week, County Commissioners Everette Witherspoon and Fleming El-Amin said they hoped to see minority participation on the projects far exceed the county’s 10 percent requirement, which is the minimum minority and women business enterprise (MWBE) goal required on government projects by state law.

“Hopefully in this bond we receive more African American participation,” said Witherspoon.

Assistant Superintendent Darrell Walker said that the school system worked to exceed that requirement for the 2006 school bond with 17 percent MWBE participation. He said a planned change in the bidding process may make it easier to get more minority sub-contractors going forward.

Also during the Monday meeting, the county-commissioners approved:

*A resolution selecting I.L. Long Construction Company for construction management at risk services on the new Clemmons branch library. The county will pay $15,000 plus a 3 percent construction phase fee for I.L. Long to handle budgeting, cost estimates, pre-qualification of vendors, logistical planning, contracting, scheduling procurement and bidding. The company will cover cost overruns, if there are any, on the project.

*A resolution authorizing staff to apply for a grant or loan from the state that helps cover a $4.3 million project to get a sewer line into the Idols Road business park the county is developing near Tanglewood. The county will potentially be working with Davie County, which is building a new pump station in the area, and is hoping Clemmons and the City/County Utility Commission will help cover the cost.