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Lenoir County board gets March update on Frank Middle School construction timeline and LaGrange land transfer
Summary
District staff outlined procurement milestones for the E.B. Frank Middle School project, projected construction timing and a proposed 38‑acre land transfer with the town of LaGrange; officials said federal, state and local funding and procurement rules influence the schedule.
At its March 2025 meeting, Lenoir County Public Schools staff presented a construction progress report for the E.B. Frank Middle School project, outlining bid timelines, a projected construction start in June 2025 and a proposed land transfer with the town of LaGrange.
The update matters because the project uses a combination of federal, state and local funds, which triggers procurement rules and a three‑bid requirement for many contract packages; those rules and local market conditions could affect timing and cost. District staff said the board will see the final land‑transfer agreement after the town acts.
District staff reported that bid documents were advertised Feb. 20 and uploaded to the BuildingConnected platform on Feb. 24. A mandatory pre‑bid meeting for prospective vendors is scheduled for March 11; the district will accept requests for information through April 9 and planned to open bids on April 24. Staff said a May 1 rebid date is available if individual packages need rebidding. The district anticipates issuing notices to proceed in June 2025 and projected an 18‑month construction period once work begins.
Because the project is funded in part with federal and state dollars, staff said procurement guidelines require at least three bids for each discrete package; where three bids are not received, the district may rebid selected packages for a 10‑day period. Staff noted that geographic location and supply‑chain pressures have limited bidder counts on other local projects.
On site and property issues, staff described a negotiated land transfer in which the town of LaGrange would receive the existing school property (the main building and related site) while the district would receive about 38 acres of land for the new campus. Under the anticipated arrangement the district would retain the athletic fields for shared use and pursue a memorandum of understanding for park‑and‑rec usage. Town leaders told district staff they are concerned about future uses of the main building and are considering options that range from reuse as a parks and recreation hub to demolition or resale; staff said details of permitted uses remain under discussion and could change pending town council action.
Staff also said construction documents include parent lanes, geothermal well locations and site circulation changes to improve safety for students walking to ball fields. Several board members asked about the number of bid packages, whether specific paths would be paved and which portions of the site the town would receive; staff replied that the number of packages is high, that the rear vehicle path will be paved, and that the town would likely receive the main building and site while the district retains the ball fields and acquires the 38‑acre parcel.
Next steps described to the board include the pre‑bid meeting, bid opening, potential rebid if packages fail to attract three bidders, town council approval of the land transfer and issuing notice to proceed in June. Staff said they expect to bring final contractual and land‑transfer documents to the board after the town of LaGrange acts at its council meeting.
