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Dare County outlines early college building plan, timeline and funding sources
Summary
County officials described a two-story early college building to be sited near the College of the Albemarle campus, a tentative construction start in May and funding from restricted sales-tax and lottery revenue; first cohort will use the Performing Arts Building while construction proceeds.
Dare County officials provided details about a planned Early College facility to be sited on the same parcel as the College of the Albemarle’s Dare campus and the Performing Arts Building.
Dustin (last name not specified in transcript) told commissioners the two‑story facility is designed to measure 25,735 square feet and to hold up to 300 students at full capacity. Interior features cited include lab space, food-service operations designed as a grab‑and‑go model, and larger-than‑typical classroom spaces intended to resemble a college campus. The county said the first cohort of students will take classes in the Performing Arts Building while construction proceeds.
Construction schedule and funding: the tentative construction schedule described in the meeting calls for starting in May with a substantial completion target of about 17 months and final completion near November 2026; the chair and staff cautioned the schedule is tentative and depends on weather and material lead times. Woodard said the project funding is coming from restricted sales tax revenue and state lottery funds and referenced a figure of $25,000,000 (spoken in the meeting as "$25,000,000. 20 5 million dollars"). He also noted recent land‑transfer revenues: "last year, from that 1% land transfer tax, we got about $10,000,000."
Why it matters: the county said the early college will enable students to graduate with a high-school diploma and an associate degree or certificate and that the program is intended to expand local postsecondary opportunities.
No final construction contract was adopted at the meeting; staff said schedules and budget details remain subject to procurement, weather and supply-chain factors.
