Swain County design team says new middle school can meet $54.6 million cap; board to decide whether to enter design development

Architects and construction representatives told the Swain County Board of Education the schematic-design cost estimate for the new middle school is close to the district's $54.6 million hard cap and recommended advancing to the design-development phase to refine pricing and details.

Emily (project presenter) summarized the schematic estimate and said the combined design-phase and construction-phase numbers produce "a resulting total project cost, including a 5% owner contingency for construction. We're at about $55,700,000 which is within about 1,000,000 dollars of the 54.6," though she noted roughly $3,000,000 of that number is unassigned contingency.

Why it matters: Board members have told staff $54.6 million is a firm spending limit; moving into design development will produce more detailed documents that let the district and its contractors narrow…