County manager warns DPI review delays could slow joint school bond projects; new project manager hired

Jamie Lauder, the county manager, told the school board on May 19 that reviews by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) are taking longer than the district anticipated and that the delays could affect timelines for multimillion-dollar projects tied to the district and county bond work.

Lauder said architectural and technical reviews submitted in April and May remain under review and that the typical six- to eight-week DPI window is already stretched, which could delay projects she described as “$15,000,000 projects.” She told the board she will suggest that both the school board and county commissioners adopt a resolution seeking relief or expedited review from DPI to avoid further schedule impacts.

Lauder also reported operational updates: a storage tank at Rosman High School was damaged during testing and will be replaced by the contractor at no additional scope cost, several Brevard-area tanks are being taken out of service because the schools now have direct gas access, and testing raised concerns about oil that had been sitting in one tank and will be followed up by Transylvania County Schools staff.

The county announced it has hired a project manager, Beecher Allison, to focus on education projects; Lauder said Allison comes from private-sector school project work and will be assigned only education projects under the interlocal agreement with the county. Lauder said the county is preparing an RFQ for a construction manager at-risk to move remaining scopes forward.

Lauder urged coordination among the board, commissioners and project team to manage DPI review timelines and minimize impact on project schedules.