<p>Lowry</p>

Lowry

<p>Smith</p>

Smith

LUMBERTON — The issue of building the Red Springs Athletic Complex was once again on Thursday referred to the full school board by the Public Schools of Robeson County’s Board of Education Finance Committee.

Committee members voted to send the matter to the school board for consideration during the March 9 meeting. The decision whether or not to move forward with phase one, and to fund it, will be up to the school board.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the athletic complex was held in April 2019, but the project was placed on hold because of a $2 million deficit in the PSRC budget, Finance Committee Chairman Mike Smith said.

The deficit was caused in part by a decline in enrollment in the wake of hurricanes Matthew and Florence before school closures and consolidation in 2019.

Craig Lowry, PSRC School Board chairman, said phase one of the project calls for leveling nearly four acres of wooded area and leveling the grounds of the complex, which sits on about 25 acres of land. He hopes to see players in the complex playing on the baseball and softball fields by the spring of 2022, Lowry said.

“If you don’t, you’re putting it off another year,” Lowry said.

“I think we do need to do something,” said Vonta Leach, committee and school board member.

Earney Hammonds, district Maintenance director, said he would come back to the school board with an estimate of how much phase one would cost.

The school system can spend between $2.5 to $3 million for projects for the remainder of the year, said Erica Setzer, chief Finance Officer.

Hammonds also told committee members repairs to St. Pauls Elementary School’s roof have been completed, but crews now need to clear materials off site before students return. The repairs are being paid for using money from the state lottery fund.

“Our next move, our priority now is Deep Branch gym,” Hammonds said.

East Robeson Primary and W.H. Knuckles Elementary schools are moving up the priority list for roofing repairs because of their conditions, he said.

Board member Brenda Fairley-Ferebee said cafeterias and classrooms should be the highest priority.

Hammonds said they were, but the school system has several repair projects underway, including leaking roofs above other areas of various school facilities.

The goal is to continually bid projects out then tackle them, “similar to an assembly line,” he said.

Repairs to Shining Stars Preschool’s roof are to start soon, Chairman Lowry said.

“The whole deal with the Shining Stars, we will take it over, but the county is wanting reimbursement from FEMA,” Lowry said.

Robeson County government must show repair work to the building, and turn it in to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for funding aid, he said. The school system will pay about $90,000 for its portion of the repair costs, and will let the county perform the repair work.

Other schools in the next group of roof repair projects are Fairmont High, Orrum Middle and Rosenwald Elementary schools, Hammonds said.

“We’re gonna go as far as the money will allow us to go,” Hammonds said.

Townsend Middle School mobile units are on order, and an electrical contractor has started work on-site, he said.

Fairley-Ferebee asked for cost projections for a parking lot upgrade at Rex-Rennert Elementary School. Hammonds said he would get her the projection.

Hammonds also told committee members that drainage is being installed at Lumberton Junior High School’s auditorium to deal with water seeping through the floor area. He said crews also discovered that roof drains had been piped under the floor.

Members also discussed assessing high school grounds for the possible placement of weight room buildings on campuses.

Setzer also told members that the school system has purchased a replacement wrecker for school buses using extra money in Transportation Department’s budget. The wrecker costs a little more than $102,000.

Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at [email protected].