BY KARISSA MILLER
Iredell-Statesville Schools officials will ask the county commissioners to fund construction of the proposed new high school on Tuesday.
The Iredell County Board of Commissioners will hold its pre-agenda briefing at 4 p.m. and regular meeting at 6 p.m. The meetings, which are open to the public, are held at the Government Center, located at 200 S. Center Street in Statesville in the commissioners’ meeting room on the second floor.
On March 24, the I-SS Board passed a resolution stating that the cost of construction of Weathers Creek High School would be between $150 million and $170 million. Furniture, fixtures and equipment costs are estimated at $20 million to $30 million.
According to the resolution, the school board is willing to work with the county to seek additional funding sources. These options include a public-private partnership or working with a private vendor to provide the major mechanical equipment and maintenance as a service.
The new high school is needed to address growth in the area and overcrowding in the high schools.
In March of 2020, Iredell County voters approved a one-cent property tax rate increase to fund new construction projects for I-SS, Mooresville Graded School District and Mitchell Community College.
Commissioners committed to spending $80 million for the new I-SS high school. Three years later, the estimated cost of building the new school at the site off Overcash Road in Troutman has jumped to $177 million-plus.
The estimated construction timeline for building the new high school is three years.
OTHER BUSINESS
Also, during the meeting, the commissioners will:
• Hold a public hearing and consider an economic development incentive for Project Pivot.
• Consider a request from the Register of Deeds for approval of $207,413.40 to appropriate Technology & Preservation Funds for the purpose of preserving historical deed records.
• Consider a request from Information Technology Services for approval of a contract with Spectrum.
• Consider a request from Department of Social Services for approval of a 3-year contract with Avaya Cloud Office solution.
• Consider a request from Department of Social Services to proclaim April as Child Abuse Awareness Prevention Month.
• Consider a request from the Finance Department to award the sale of property on Harmony Highway to the highest bidder. The County owns property at 4600 Harmony Highway and has been in the upset bid process of selling this property. After six rounds of upset bids, the highest bid is $20,000.
This is insane…especially for someone who grew up in the old Statesville City School System and NEVER had an air conditioned class!!!!
Please help or inform me as to the NC Lottery funding. My understanding was, that it was initiated for ‘building new schools in NC’. Where did I miss that change, etc. Just asking as where all the money for that goes and shouldn’t that be taken into account for this school? If not, IT SHOULD!
I agree that more lottery funding should funnel to Iredell County, but I have a feeling that the larger counties such as Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford, etc. are always going to get first dibs on funds.
Administrator salaries always suck a big budget line too.
Look forward, not back. Hopefully the money will also provide more security for this ever changeing world.
There is no way the commissioners should agree to this ridiculous cost. It’s time to stop bailing out I-SS incompetence with taxpayers’ money.
“The nation’s most expensive public school ever built is in downtown Los Angeles. The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, a K-12 complex built on 23 acres of land, cost $578 million to build. Considering the school will house about 4,200 students, construction cost about $130,000 per pupil.”
South Iredell high school has around 1600 students and I’m guessing this new high school will hold around the same. At $200 million to build, that’s equal to $125,000 PER STUDENT!!!
Insane waste of taxpayer money!
A multi story building on land beside the football stadium with underground parking would save a lot of money and save parents the longer drive. This would allow for up to 3,000 students without disruption of the current high school. Would also allow upgrade of some of their current buildings.
Troutman already has a great high school property.