School, county officials plan next improvements at SMHS

By Lynn Hotaling and Lisa Majors-Duff

Approved by members of the Jackson County Board of Education Sept. 23 and by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners Oct. 3, plans call for a renovated lobby, additional office space and facade renovation to be accomplished this fiscal year. Commissioners have $1.25 million on hand to complete these projects.

The remainder of Phase II improvements, set for the 2003-04 school year, include the construction of new science laboratories and classrooms, completion of a new technology center, site development to include a new access road to improve the traffic pattern at SMHS and nearby Fairview Elementary, gymnasium window replacements, and upgrades to existing A, B, C and D buildings.

Both boards agreed that John Cort of Asheville should continue as architect for projects at SMHS.

"Mr. Cort did a good job on Phase I," school maintenance supervisor Arlin Middleton told commissioners Oct. 3. "The board of education and the high school faculty were very satisfied."

While very little discussion occurred during the school board session, commissioners engaged in some debate before approving the school system's recommendation. County board Chairman Jay Denton questioned the school system's prioritizing facade improvements and office space at SMHS ahead of new kindergarten classrooms at 30-year-old Fairview.

"Do we not have any other pressing needs that directly affect the learning environment?" Denton asked of both Middleton and Superintendent Mack McCary. "Shouldn't our first and foremost concern be learning environments?"

"Part of the feeling is that you have a school that opened in 1960 and has waited for improvements, while Fairview is out of space, yes, but they are dealing with their problem," McCary responded.

In addition, SMHS administrators have raised concerns about the current line-of-sight safety problems with the school's entrance, as well as confusion on the part of visitors not knowing where to report their presence, the superintendent said.

"I hope you understand my concern," Denton continued. "You've got 'wants' and you've got 'needs.' Before we put a nice facade on this school and move some offices around, do we not need to address the concerns of the kindergarten classes at Fairview?"

"There's a plan, and we're going to get to it," McCary said.

School and county officials also agreed to proceed with three additional school projects. These are new wiring at the Hub (School of Alternatives located at the old Scotts Creek School) at a cost of $99,000; heating and air conditioning at Fairview ($150,000); air conditioning for Blue Ridge ($105,000); and air conditioning for Cullowhee Valley gym ($45,000). Funding for these projects will come from state ADM money, which requires a 25 percent match, Middleton said.

Expenditures from ADM funds require county approval as well as a 25 percent match from the school system.

Upon learning that available ADM funds totaled more than $500,000, school board member Ray Trine asked Middleton during the Sept. 23 meeting why the school system had plans to use only $300,000.

"We only have $100,000 to use as matching funds," Middleton said.

Trine expressed his opinion that the school system should find a way to spend the remainder of that money now, given the condition of the state's budget.

"There's no way this state can meet its obligations," Trine said in a reference to North Carolina's ongoing budget woes. "Therefore, if this money is in that account, it may not be there six months from now. If we can't come up with the $100,000 to spend it now, it may not be there later.

"We need to find (the matching funds) or the county needs to. We need to try to deplete that account," Trine said.

Trine, who did not seek a second school board term, resigned from the board at the close of its Sept. 23 session.

Back to Archive: 10/17/02.