Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves retainer for eminent‑domain counsel and two middle‑school foundation repairs
Summary
Trustees approved a retainer for eminent‑domain attorneys to represent the school in a DOT road‑widening project that will remove a curb cut at the middle school and unanimously approved two contracts to address a structural crack at the middle school, including a $5,000 contingency for masonry repairs.
The Piedmont Community Charter School Board on May 20 unanimously approved a retainer with an eminent‑domain law firm to represent the school in negotiations related to an upcoming N.C. Department of Transportation road‑widening project near the middle school campus. The project will reconfigure the intersection near Tippman and New Hope and will remove one existing school entrance, the facilities committee reported.
Facilities committee members said the law firm’s role is to negotiate with DOT to ensure the school receives fair compensation for lost access and other damages. Committee members said DOT will issue an initial offer and the firm will negotiate; the contract calls for the firm to take one‑third of any additional amount recovered above DOT’s original offer, and the firm does not take a percentage of amounts that fall below the original DOT offer. The firm representative told the committee settlements for projects affecting many property owners can take up to two years, but payments are expected before construction begins.
Separately, the board approved two contracts to remedy a crack and associated drainage issues at the middle school identified in the facility needs assessment. The agenda described one contract with Tar Heel Foundation Solutions to install helical piers (structural underpinning), and a second contract with Jenkins (masonry/site work) to repair masonry and redirect water flow near mobile units. The board approved the Tar Heel contract and approved the Jenkins contract with an added $5,000 contingency to cover potential additional work; both approvals were unanimous.
Board members said the foundation and drainage work will reduce ponding and make walking routes to mobile units safer during heavy rain. Facilities staff said they expect the work to be done during the summer construction window.
The board also discussed the earlier special meeting on April 29, which authorized replacing a 20‑ton HVAC unit with a new 24‑ton unit at the elementary school at a total price reported in the minutes as $148,620; those April 29 special‑meeting minutes were approved at the May 20 meeting.
