Auxiliary Services committee approves easements, capital designs, contracts and fleet replacements

The Cumberland County Board of Education Auxiliary Services committee approved a package of facilities and purchasing items at its January meeting, moving forward with utility easements, design work and several contracts.

The committee granted the Public Works Commission (PWC) easement requests enabling a PWC water project to connect Grace Creek Elementary and Alderman Road Elementary to public water rather than continued well use. Committee members said staff reviewed the attached easement documents and recommended approval. The motion was made by Greg West and seconded by Susan Williams and was approved by the committee.

The committee approved Crawford Design Company’s design proposal for Seventy‑First High School’s front entrance drive modification and additional parking. The design fee is $74,000; the construction estimate presented to the committee was about $900,000. Committee members said the plan will convert the existing drive to drive‑only along the sidewalk and add a circular drive toward Raiford Road, keeping a fire lane but eliminating parking along the sidewalk. Motion to approve the design proposal was made by Greg West, seconded by Susan Williams, and carried.

Carolina Construction of Fayetteville received committee approval to replace HVAC units and associated windows at Stedman Primary School under the lowest responsive bid of $931,249. Presenters told the committee this course was chosen after discovering extensive underground piping and contamination that made full piping replacement and tank remediation a separate, costly project; installing classroom HVAC units was presented as the more pragmatic near‑term fix to restore reliable heat. The motion to award the contract was made by Greg West and seconded by Susan Williams and was approved.

The committee approved replacing 17 fleet vehicles to update high‑mileage district vehicles and improve safety while reducing maintenance costs. The request originally proposed 22 vehicles but staff revised it to 17; included replacements were custodial vehicles with odometer readings cited in the staff packet and a request for six Ford Escapes for technology/facility staff who need additional cargo space. Staff said not all fleet vehicles go home with employees and that some vehicles are assigned for on‑call use. Motion to approve the fleet purchase was made by Greg West, seconded by Susan Williams, and carried.

Child Nutrition and related procurement approvals included multiple one‑year contract extensions offered at no price increase: Franklin Bread Company (fresh bread), Mayola Dairy Company (milk/dairy), R & H Produce (fresh produce), and extending a temporary staffing contract with Manpower Group that currently supplies approximately 70 temporary child nutrition staff per day. The committee also approved Thompson & Little to replace walk‑in freezers and coolers at multiple schools to support summer meal sites and regular food service. Committee members noted that some suppliers had changed ownership or consolidated in recent years but that the successful bidders were responsive and able to meet the district’s needs; motions to approve the extensions and awards were approved.

Several smaller items were approved on the consent/nomination agenda at the same meeting, including naming the Westover High School track the “Colonel Eli Ballard Track” and renaming Westover’s auxiliary gym the “George Stackhouse Auxiliary Gymnasium”; both naming actions passed after motions and seconds were recorded.

What’s next: staff will finalize contract documents and move toward execution and construction procurement where applicable. For the larger capital items (driveway construction, HVAC/window replacements), presenters said the design or bid packages will return to the board with timeline and construction‑funding details where required.

Votes at a glance - PWC utility easement (Grace Creek Elementary & Alderman Road Elementary): Motion by Greg West; second by Susan Williams; outcome: approved (committee roll: Jacqueline Brown — yes; Susan Williams — yes; Greg West — yes; Dr. Sarah Jordan — yes). - Crawford Design Co. design proposal (Seventy‑First High School driveway): Motion by Greg West; second by Susan Williams; outcome: approved. - Carolina Construction of Fayetteville, HVAC/window replacement (Stedman Primary School), low responsive bid $931,249: Motion by Greg West; second by Susan Williams; outcome: approved. - Fleet vehicle replacements (17 vehicles): Motion by Greg West; second by Susan Williams; outcome: approved. - Franklin Bread Company contract extension (fresh bread): Motion (recorded); outcome: approved. - Mayola Dairy Company contract extension (milk): Motion by Susan Williams; second by Greg West; outcome: approved. - R & H Produce contract extension (fresh produce): Motion recorded; outcome: approved. - Manpower Group temporary staffing extension (Child Nutrition): Motion recorded; outcome: approved. - Thompson & Little (walk‑in freezer/cooler replacements at multiple schools): Motion recorded; outcome: approved. - Westover High School track naming (Colonel Eli Ballard Track): Motion recorded; outcome: approved. - Westover auxiliary gym naming (George Stackhouse Auxiliary Gymnasium): Motion recorded; outcome: approved.

Speakers and presenters listed in committee materials included Board Chair Jacqueline Brown; board members Susan Williams and Greg West; and district staff including Beth Maynard, Executive Director of Child Nutrition, and operations staff who presented the site and design recommendations.

Clarifying details (from staff presentations): design fee for Seventy‑First High School entrance modification $74,000 (≈8% of estimated construction cost); construction estimate ≈ $900,000. Carolina Construction low responsive bid for Stedman Primary HVAC and window replacement: $931,249. Into‑service fleet replacements reduced from 22 vehicles to 17 in the approved request. Thompson & Little was low bidder for multiple walk‑in freezer/cooler replacements; exact contract amounts were in the procurement packet.

Community relevance: actions affect multiple attendance areas (Seventy‑First High School attendance area; Stedman Primary; schools receiving food service or freezer upgrades) and use a combination of capital funds and state/procurement sources for operational contracts.