Fayetteville schools to advertise bid after FEMA approves safe-room project worth $9,381,862, superintendent says

Superintendent Eric Jones announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the Fayetteville City High School safe-room project and asked the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to authorize the school system to advertise for construction bids. "The project the approved total is $9,381,862," Jones told the board and said the federal and nonfederal shares would be split so the school system can move forward with a general contractor procurement.

Jones described the federal funding as the majority share and said the state will pass reimbursements to the city. "It's reimbursed," he said, explaining: expenses will be incurred, reported and then reimbursed by the state after FEMA provides federal funds to the state. "Timo will give the city of Fayetteville the money, and then the city of Fayetteville will work as they pass through for us to be able to get lots of money," Jones said (transcript spelling of the state-level intermediary as spoken: "Tima/Timo").

Board members asked about technical and scheduling details. A board member asked whether Fayetteville Public Utilities (FPU) had been contacted about lead times for power infrastructure; Jones said the school system has informed utility partners but that the next procurement steps — and the related permits and utility coordination — will be handled by the selected general contractor. Jones also said the school system has already updated plans to reflect intervening code changes and has engaged the state fire marshal.

At the meeting, the board approved a motion to allow the Fayetteville City School System to advertise for bids for the safe-room construction contract. The motion to authorize advertising for bids was made by Alderman Painter and seconded by Alderman Small; roll-call votes were recorded in favor. Following the vote, Jones said the authorization would save several weeks by avoiding a return to the board for another administrative step.

Why it matters: the safe room is part of an emergency preparedness investment for Fayetteville City High School; federal reimbursement and a coordinated state pass-through are part of the project's finance and procurement workflow. The board's authorization to advertise begins the formal procurement phase that will identify the general contractor responsible for construction, permitting and coordination with utilities and code officials.

What remains: Jones and school staff will pursue the bid process, select a general contractor, and that contractor will obtain the permits, coordinate utility work and draw reimbursements per the state/federal process described in the meeting. The transcript includes project cost figures and the school's explanation of reimbursement mechanics; some spoken figures in the record are numerically inconsistent and are presented in the article as quoted from the meeting.