Supervisors back planning funding
BY BRAD FRANKLIN

May 06, 2008

Board approves allocating $618,773 for work at all three elementary schools

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved more than $600,000 for school-construction planning Monday afternoon, the first step in the county’s bid to have its three elementary schools added on to and renovated.

The School Board had approached the supervisors in a bid to seek an out-right appropriation last month. But due to the nature of the request, the board directed school officials to bring the request for funds back in a proper format.

The requests this week were to issue general obligation bonds to cover a pair of projects—the six-classroom addition and multi-purporse room construction at both Byrd and Randolph Elementary schools as well as a bus garage.

But School Board Chairman Andrew Meng (District 4) withdrew requests for resolutions in support from the board for that bond issue after discussion amongst the supervisors Monday.

In essence, the school system has been seeking funding for elementary projects for more than a year.

A recent joint sub-committee, formed at the urging of the supervisors, recommended a course of action that the county was unwilling to support without a bond referendum in November.

That recommendation was to make the additions and renovations at Byrd and Randolph in addition to building a 700-student elementary school in the Courthouse area.

Rather than seek the roughly $8.7 million for the BES and RES projects, as well as about $4 million for the bus garage, the school division received the planning funds that will allow work to begin at Goochland Elementary School, a site which the county has signaled to school officials will continue to be used as a school.

Still, the possibility remains that work needed at GES, in order to provide the capacity sought by the school system, could push the project’s price tag even higher than a proposed new facility, which the school system has continued to support.

Issues at the site are expected to be identified with the funds.

Board of Supervisors Chairman William Quarles (District 2) said it was “most prudent” to approve the planning funding so that the school system could begin the work needed.

Meng said he hoped the school division would return the study’s information prior to the board’s meeting in July. 

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