Alamance-Burlington school board members voted during their latest meeting to approve several maintenance contracts, as well as a proposal that drew one dissenting voter over hiring researchers at N.C. State University to conduct a study that will be used to assess where new schools and expansions may be needed within the next decade.
School board members voted 5-1, with Seneca Rogers opposed, earlier this month to award a $34,000 contract to the Operations Research and Education Laboratory (OREd) at N.C. State to conduct a land use study for ABSS over the next six months. The results of that analysis are currently expected to be presented during a school board meeting in June, based on the terms of the contract.
ABSS superintendent Dr. Aaron Fleming presented the proposal to hire OREd to do the study during the school board’s latest meeting, though he also noted that the dollar value was below the $90,000 threshold that automatically triggers a statutory requirement for board approval.
The same group (OREd) has also previously conducted several land use and “school capacity” studies for ABSS, in an effort to identify schools where enrollment may be at or near maximum capacity in the near future.
Under the contract with ABSS, the researchers will examine data such as: Alamance County’s birth rates and patterns; current enrollment by attendance zone and school; and existing and planned subdivisions, along with other “high-impact” residential development, in order to forecast enrollment at each school over the next decade.
Most recently, the researchers at N.C. State conducted a land use and school capacity study for ABSS at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and statewide school shutdown. The results from that study were presented to school board members during a Zoom (online) meeting in October 2020 but yielded no action, given the pandemic and subsequent departures of then-superintendent Dr. Bruce Benson, as well as several school board members and Central Office administrators.
Following the board’s 5-1 vote to award the contract to OREd, Rogers told The Alamance News he’d voted against it because he felt that the data compiled in 2020 was sufficient to gauge which ABSS schools are currently at or nearing capacity.
Roofing assessments required to maintain warranties
In other business, school board members voted 6-0 to award a contract to Triangle Roofing Services of Zebulon – at a cost “not to exceed” $88,175.50 – to inspect the roofs on all ABSS facilities by the end of June 2025.
ABSS chief operations officer Greg Hook told the board that, after reading the school system’s roof warranties, he had learned that a “biannual inspection” must be performed in order to maintain the roofing warranties. “This is something we’ve had quite a bit of discussion with the county commissioners about needing to move on,” Hook acknowledged. “They [Triangle Roofing Services] are certified in our roofing materials, which is crucial.”
School board vice chairman Dan Ingle interjected, “We’ve been dealing with leaking roofs for 20 years, so I’ll make a motion [to award the contract].” The vote was 6-0 to hire Triangle Roofing Services to conduct the assessments by June 30, 2025, when the contract is set to expire.
The Triangle Roofing contract will be funded by annual capital funding for school maintenance and repairs that Alamance County’s commissioners allocated to ABSS for the current fiscal year.
Paving work approved December 2, completed this week
School board members also voted 6-0 during their latest meeting to award a contract for $117,829 to Triangle Paving and Grading of Burlington to pave a heavily-pockmarked parking lot on the backside of Graham High School, near the bus parking lot and entrance to the athletic stadium.
Hook urged the board earlier this month to move forward with the paving as soon as possible, saying, “We have quite a few trip hazards in that area.”
Jimmy Russell, who oversees maintenance for the school system’s operations department, was on site at Graham High School late Wednesday afternoon and confirmed for The Alamance News that the paving project had been completed earlier this week.
Crews from JF Sealcoating & Striping in Burlington were also at Graham High School Wednesday afternoon, preparing the fresh asphalt for new pavement markings that will be applied later this week, Russell said.
The contract for the paving at Graham High School was also funded by county capital allocated to ABSS for the current fiscal year, based on information that Hook provided during the school board’s latest meeting.
School board member Chuck Marsh was absent due to illness, the board’s chairman Sandy Ellington-Graves announced at the outset of the meeting.
