The New Hanover County Schools bond subcommittee on Oct. 17 reviewed a proposed $320 million general obligation bond package, confirmed Local Government Commission filing dates and heard updated cost estimates showing steep increases for planned elementary-school rebuilds.

The committee’s chair, Pat Bradford, said the group is preparing an LGC application and that the county commissioners will take their first formal action on April 6, and the final application to the Local Government Commission is scheduled for April 19. “April 6 is your first county commission action, and April 19 is the final application that goes into the local government commission,” Bradford said.

The discussion centered on the package of capital projects the committee previously recommended to the board and to the county, including: New Hanover High School Phase 1; a replacement middle school for Trask on the Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) campus with the existing Trask building repurposed for Laney High School; a new Riverlights Elementary School to replace Mary C. Williams; an on-site replacement of Pine Valley Elementary; an 8-classroom addition at a different elementary school to address immediate overcrowding; and a $40 million districtwide allocation for infrastructure (HVAC, safety and technology).

Why it matters: the committee must present a bond question and summary to the county and the LGC that shows realistic costs and tax impacts before voters can decide. Eric (county staff) told the group the LGC application is detailed and “includes all sorts of financial information related to the county,” and that the referendum must disclose any potential tax-rate impact for LGC approval.

Key costs and schedule points discussed included committee estimates and recent design/estimate updates. Committee members noted large increases in earlier estimates for two elementary projects: Riverlights Elementary’s earlier estimate (circa 2019–2021) ranged near $28–29 million; more recent estimates discussed in the meeting put Riverlights as high as about $53 million and Pine Valley’s estimate near $56 million. “The current projected estimate for River Lights is $53,000,008,” a committee member said when reporting the packet figures; another noted Pine Valley estimates rose from roughly $29 million to the mid‑50 millions.

The committee debated whether to present projects in ranked priority order on ballot materials. Several members said not ranking projects may avoid politicizing the list and help voter support, noting that actual construction sequencing can change after bids and as staff refines scope. Josie Barnhart moved that the committee not add projects beyond what the committee previously approved and not move additional phases into the current bond ask; the motion was seconded and discussed but no final recorded vote on that motion appears in the transcript.

On project details, New Hanover High School Phase 1 would secure the campus perimeter, add a new dining hall, classrooms, a secure courtyard and a bus drop zone; committee members raised questions about a pedestrian catwalk across a public street, ownership of the crossing and whether DOT or the city holds title. For Trask Middle School, the proposal would build a new middle school on the CFCC/CTEC campus and repurpose the existing Trask building for Laney High School to ease capacity and traffic pressures. For Riverlights and Mary C. Williams the group confirmed demolition costs were included in current Riverlights estimates and discussed whether sale of the Mary C. Williams site could recoup funds for other work.

The committee asked staff to continue refining scope and costs, to produce a one‑page map/graphic showing where bond projects would provide direct and secondary benefits, and to break the districtwide $40 million into the $20M (infrastructure/HVAC), $10M (technology) and $10M (safety/capital) buckets with top items under each for county commissioners to review. Bradford and school staff said they would share draft outreach materials but noted statutory limits on using school system funds for advocacy: a 2014 guidance sheet in the packet states New Hanover County Schools may not use its funds to advocate for a bond, but may pay for preparation and dissemination of informational materials.

Committee business and formal actions recorded in the transcript included approval of the meeting agenda and previous minutes (voice votes recorded as “aye”), and a motion to extend the meeting by 15 minutes, which passed. A separate motion by Barnhart to prohibit adding projects beyond those the committee had approved was seconded for discussion; the transcript does not record a final vote on that motion.

Next steps identified in the meeting: staff will continue updating cost estimates and the project map, prioritize the $20M/$10M/$10M districtwide allocations using the upcoming facilities conditions assessment, coordinate with county staff on the LGC submission materials and timetable, and pursue a joint meeting with the county commission (committee members expressed preference for an October joint meeting if scheduling permits, otherwise November). The committee also said it will engage community partners (alumni groups, the Chamber) to support informational outreach under the constraints of state and local rules about government advocacy and referendum materials.

The transcript shows a sustained discussion over costs, sequencing and public messaging but no final, binding changes to the project list were adopted during the meeting.