Clover Garden School, which is one of Alamance County’s four public charter schools, has started construction on a major expansion currently underway at 5806 Pagetown Road in Burlington, about three miles from the existing charter school along Altamahaw Union Ridge Road.
A building permit recently issued by Alamance County’s inspections department lists the cost for the project at $15 million, though Glover Garden subsequently obtained $19,375,000 in education revenue bonds in May of this year, based on a deed of trust securing the financing that was recorded in the Register of Deeds’ office on May 31.
“Many families are waiting and wanting to be part of our school community. Many on our waiting list include some of our current [Clover Garden School] families awaiting room for their other children, who are siblings to those currently enrolled. This is one of the reasons this expansion decision is necessary. By increasing the school’s total student enrollment [capacity it] would help open additional spots for families trying to get in.” – Clover Garden principal Heather Vereyken
Clover Garden purchased the 67-acre site where the expansion is under construction on Pagetown Road for $220,000 in late June 2020, according to documents filed at the time with the county’s Register of Deeds to consummate the transaction.
The expansion will exclusively house high school students and enable Clover Garden School to admit more students, principal Heather Vereyken explained last week in an update about the project to students and families. Clover Garden has consistently had 600 students on a waiting list for the past five years, she said.
“Many families are waiting and wanting to be part of our school community,” Vereyken elaborated in her update about the expansion. “Many on our waiting list include some of our current [Clover Garden School] families awaiting room for their other children, who are siblings to those currently enrolled. This is one of the reasons this expansion decision is necessary. By increasing the school’s total student enrollment [capacity it] would help open additional spots for families trying to get in.”
The existing school site at 2454 Altamahaw Union Ridge Road in the western part of the county will not allow for future expansion, Vereyken elaborated, because the soil is considered unsuitable for a larger septic system that would be needed.
Planning for the expansion began in 2019, and construction is currently targeted for completion in July 2023, according to Vereyken. CT Wilson Construction, which has offices in Greensboro and Durham, is the general contractor for the expansion, according to building permits that have been issued to Clover Garden School by Alamance County’s inspections department.
Most of the site work – such as clearing the land; installing erosion control measures and storm drainage; and laying out the parking lot, driveways, and access points – had been completed by mid-July, Vereyken said. Crews will next begin pouring the foundation for the building and footings, she added.
CT Wilson is also installing a construction trailer at the site, according to the county’s inspections department.
