Pender County leaders approve land purchase for school improvements. What's coming next?
Pender County commissioners recently approved to spend $1.54 million on land to make way for school district improvements in Rocky Point.
The 55-acre piece of land is located next to Rocky Point Elementary School on U.S. 117. It was listed as potential sites for a few projects for a bond referendum.
Margaret Blue, Pender County finance director, said the land was originally 80 acres, but about 30-something acres of wetlands is being conserved. According to county documents, the land was owned by Diane Toothman of Suffolk, Virginia and others.
The decision by commissioners was made official last week when the Local Government Commission (LGC) approved a $178 million for general obligation bond, following an OK from voters in 2022. To help provide more classroom space and upgrade facilities throughout Pender County, the money will be dispersed in three rounds in 2025, 2027 and 2028.
What will the money be spent on?
The construction of a new middle and elementary school somewhere near the N.C. 210 corridor. ($111.55 million)
Topsail Middle School renovation ($22.60 million)
Rocky Point Elementary School addition ($1.21 million)
Burgaw Middle School Cafeteria rebuild ($4.27 million)
Construction of a new Central Services Building ($21 million)
A new eight-bay Maintenance Building ($17.12 million)
Officials estimate completion of the projects will take between 5-7 years.
What's coming first?
With the overcrowding of classrooms being a concern in the Topsail region, the K-8 school is a priority at this point.
"Because we do prioritize seat availability for our students, the K-8 school is the first on the agenda," stated Michael Taylor, chief officer of auxiliary services, in a news release. "We're excited about all of the projects, but we recognize that we have to move forward methodically trying to reduce the overcrowding, especially along the (U.S.) 17 corridor."
During a June meeting, the Pender County School Board of Education, board members voted to use Bordeaux Construction and Mosely Architects to design and build the K-8 school building.
"We chose (Bordeaux Construction and Mosely Architects) because they were the highest rated team when we conducted the hour plus interviews," Taylor told the StarNews. "They are an established design/build team with numerous projects across the state. We felt like they would make a great partner as we embark on this project with the chosen delivery method."
According to a timeline, the design and permitting phase of the project is expected to be complete by June 2024. Construction may start the next month.
When will it open?
The district would like to have the K-8 school open for students by August 2026.
Towards the end of completing the project, Taylor said the district will start to look at designs for the Topsail Middle School renovation. Construction is expected to start in July 2026, along with projects for Rocky Point classroom additions and the new cafeteria at Burgaw Middle School.
Construction for the central office is scheduled to start in 2028, following preliminary steps, with an estimated completion date of 2029.
Taylor said the approval from the LGC was significant since it allows the district to move forward with the next step, which involves finances and getting land. With Pender County being the fifth fastest growing county in the state, Taylor said, he also stressed the importance of having additions as many Pender schools outgrow their capacity.
The process will also include turning Topsail Middle School into a freshman academy to help with overcrowding at Topsail High School, which had 1,772 students in January in a building designed to have 1,400.
According to 2023 enrollment numbers, Topsail area schools are near capacity. In January, Topsail Annandale Elementary was over capacity by 126 students and North Topsail Elementary was over by 110.
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Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Pender schools begin using bond money for improvements
