Forsyth County approves $2.57 million for emergency East Forsyth High School repairs, includes boiler replacement

Forsyth County commissioners on May 8 amended the 2016 schools capital projects ordinance to provide $2,568,000 from 2016 referendum bond proceeds and budget reserves to Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WFCS) for emergency repairs at East Forsyth High School, including work on a failing underground utility tunnel and replacement of a failed boiler. The board voted to approve the amendment by voice vote after discussion; the motion was made by Commissioner Bessie and seconded by Commissioner McDaniel and carried unanimously.

County Manager Chantelle Robinson introduced the item as an amendment to the 2016 schools capital projects ordinance allocating the funds to the East Forsyth project and said the action would leave $3,197,424.32 in budget reserves.

The request grew out of discovery during a planned canopy replacement. Daryl Walker, a representative of Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools, told the board that the original canopies from 1962 had been bolted to sidewalks above a utility tunnel and that “water has intruded through the bolts of those canopies and now into the tunnel,” leaving the tunnel failing and sidewalks at risk. Walker said crews have restricted student access to the affected sidewalks in recent weeks and that the planned remedy includes demolishing the canopies, removing sidewalks above the tunnel, repairing and re‑sealing the tunnel area and reinstalling new sidewalks and canopies attached to the building rather than to sidewalks.

Commissioners pressed WFCS staff about whether the work should have been identified during initial engineering and whether the boiler replacement should be separated from the tunnel/canopy emergency. Commissioner McDaniel asked whether this was truly an emergency and was told the condition posed a safety risk to students. WFCS said the canopy work led to the discovery and that the boiler — the transcript indicated roughly $250,000 of the $468,000 line item — also failed and was rolled into the same change order while contractors were already on site. WFCS characterized the contract amendment as a change order rather than a separate competitive bid.

Some commissioners argued the boiler and tunnel work should be voted on separately; a motion to split the items was raised but did not receive a second, and the board returned to and approved the original package. WFCS told the board the remaining contingency funds were intended to address any additional unknowns discovered while working under the tunnel but said staff did not expect to expend the full contingency and hoped to reallocate unused contingency later.

Clarifying details provided to the board: the requested $2,568,000 comes from 2016 referendum bond proceeds and budget reserves; a $468,000 component included the boiler and contingency (WFCS indicated about $250,000 for the boiler and the balance as contingency); work will include canopy demolition and sidewalk removal/replacement to address the failing tunnel; the contract change is being executed as a change order to the contractor already on site.

The board’s action funds immediate, safety‑related repairs and will be reflected in the schools capital project accounts; WFCS and county staff said they would provide further capital planning documentation and that the district is preparing a broader capital improvement plan for commissioners’ review.

The board left open further oversight and asked staff to provide the district’s capital needs assessment and prioritization work in follow‑up briefing(s).