BY KARISSA MILLER
Iredell-Statesville Schools is inching closer to beginning construction of Weathers Creek High School after the school board approved a plan to reduce the cost to meet the $130 million budget set by the Iredell County Board of Commissioners.
“It’s a tight, tight budget. It’s going to take some work there, but it’s something that we feel like we can do,” I-SS Chief Operations Officer Mark Shinkaruk explained to the board.
The revised scope of the project includes the construction of the school side of the creek, rough grading for the athletic field side, the contingency fee, the FFE (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) package, testing and special inspections and design fees.
Cost Breakdown
♦ Construction: $114,000,000
♦ Contingency (3%): $3,420,000
♦ Design Fees: $7,000,000
♦ Special Inspections: $550,000
♦ Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment: $5,030,000
Shinkaruk told the board that I-SS Superintendent Jeff James and others have “discussed at length ideas for funding FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment) and these other things to make it work.”
“We want to put a shovel in the ground,” Shinkaruk said.
The school, which will be located at 246 Overcash Road, will have a capacity of 1,600 students.
Cost estimates for the project, including the athletic facilities, have been as high as $190 million.
But county commissioners have drawn a hard line at $130 million. Voters approved $80 million for the new school in 2020. Commissioners agreed to borrow another $40 million, and will use $10 million from the county’s fund balance.
“It is what it is. The commissioners said this all you’re going to get. The company (Monteith) was nice enough to break it down and come off of their original price. At least we will be able to break ground and get a school started,” said Chairman Bill Howell.
The next step is for the county to secure the financing for the project, which will happen early next year, officials stated.
Shinkaruk, in an interview, explained that once financing is secured, the district hopes to break ground on the new high school in March.
It remains unclear how the district will pay for the athletic facilities.
“It doesn’t include the athletic fields in this $130 million, but our hope is to be in a position where we can add those,” Shinkaruk said.
Construction is expected to take about 30 months. However, it could move a little faster since the scope has been reduced from the original proposal, officials stated.