News-Record.com

Eastern parents to fight for Lucent site

By Jennifer Fernandez
Staff Writer

Eastern Guilford parents plan to continue the fight to get their students together again at a renovated Carolina Corporate Center, the former Lucent building in McLeansville.

About a dozen parents withstood Tuesday's chilly night air to discuss their displeasure with plans for a so-called "pod village" next year instead of using the Carolina building. They plan to take up their cause with county commissioners, who must release any money Guilford County Schools needs to build the "pod village."

The Guilford County Board of Education had voted just moments earlier to put all of Eastern's students in a series of modular units until a permanent building can be built. Until Tuesday, the school board had been undecided whether freshmen would attend classes in the "pod village."

Students have been studying at separate sites, a university research facility in Browns Summit and GTCC's East Wendover campus, since shortly after a fire Nov. 1 destroyed Eastern.

District officials say it will cost about $4.25 million to set up and lease the modular units, which are sturdier than the mobile trailers that schools often use to create additional space. Last month, the district estimated the cost at $3.1 million.

Shortly after the fire, parents latched onto the idea of renovating the Carolina Center, potentially getting students back together as soon as next semester.

The building's owners originally said the site could be renovated at $10 to $12 per square foot. That amounts to about $1 million to $1.2 million for 100,000 square feet. Adding in leasing costs for two years put the final tally at $2.7 million to $2.9 million.

Those renovation estimates have since increased to about $30 per square foot, or $3 million. Adding leasing costs makes the total $4.7 million.

Costs would be higher if more space was needed.

And district officials remain skeptical of estimates from the building's owners, Florida Realty Investments. Kevin Lear, Guilford's chief operations officer, said he thinks the cost could be closer to $5.9 million for 100,000 square feet.

In both cases, officials are giving estimates based on what they know at the time they set those amounts.

"What we'd like to see is a fair assessment," between the two options, parent and Lucent Technologies salesman Clyde Gann, told the board at the beginning of its meeting.

"If you're going to make a decision on something like that, go out to bid. Get a fixed price," he said standing with other parents outside the board's offices after the vote.

The Carolina Center has not gotten a serious, thorough consideration by the district, said Michael McCloskey, chairman of Florida Realty Investments, which owns the center.

The company would be willing to guarantee a price for the school district, he said.

School board members Darlene Garrett and Deena Hayes were leery of the district's estimates on the project.

"We have in the past been given numbers and they escalate," Garrett said, referring to renovation work at three middle schools and the Academy at Smith, both of which increased by millions from initial estimates.

"All I can tell you is that's what we think the cost is going to be," Lear said. "But nobody can guarantee the cost at this point. Until you bid it out, you don't know what it's going to cost."

He asked the board to put the funding request for the modular units on the Jan. 18 county commissioners' agenda, even though the board won't see detailed plans until its Jan. 9 meeting. Commissioners require that agenda items be in place 14 days before a meeting, he said. The request can be taken off if the school board decides not to approve the plan, he added.

Unlike Eastern parents, Academy at Lincoln parents left the meeting with their request fulfilled.

The Very Strong Needs program, which serves the district's most academically advanced students, will remain at Lincoln.

Eligible students in fourth- through eighth-grade can receive the special services, which are offered only at Lincoln. District officials had been looking at moving part of the program in 2008 to High Point's Welborn Middle to serve students in that area.

Parents vehemently protested the move, which would have come on the heels of last year's move to Lincoln. Students had previously been served at Wiley Elementary and Aycock Middle schools.