Board approves Metcon as construction manager at risk for new E.B. Frank Middle School; land transfer advancing

The Lenoir County Board of Education approved a construction management at-risk agreement with Metcon for the E.B. Frank Middle School project during the Feb. 3 meeting.

Assistant/Facilities staff and project leads provided a progress report: construction documents are complete, flow testing finished, and the town of LaGrange has verbally agreed to transfer the approximately 38-acre site where the new school will be built. Officials said the town council and the district’s attorney have reviewed the transfer documents; the district plans to present the finalized land-transfer agreement to the full board once LaGrange’s council signs it.

Board members were told the switchboard that will supply power to the new school has been purchased separately because the equipment has a 52–56 week lead time; the district purchased it early so long lead times will not delay completion. The district expects bid documents to be issued starting Feb. 18 and indicated bid openings will be held the week of April 23–30. Metcon and the district’s architect and staff will apply for construction permits and begin the construction phase after bids are awarded.

During the presentation, staff described infrastructure work completed or planned: a pad elevation adjustment to achieve gravity-fed sewer connections, and a workaround to avoid dependency on a lift station that was being discontinued; district staff said they are coordinating with the town manager and LaGrange officials on dirt/earthwork to avoid major purchased fill costs. Board members asked about traffic/road improvements; staff said the site access includes a long traffic queue in the design to reduce congestion but noted DOT may impose ingress/egress or turn-lane requirements later in design or permitting.

Motion and vote: The board voted to approve the construction manager at-risk agreement with Metcon. Board members present raised hands and the chair announced the motion passed without dissent.

Why it matters: The contract and the land-transfer agreement are key steps toward replacing E.B. Frank Middle School and advancing construction; purchasing long‑lead equipment and early permitting steps were presented as measures to keep the project on schedule.

Next steps: staff will present the finalized land-transfer documents to the board when LaGrange’s council signs them, issue RFPs/bid documents on Feb. 18, host bid openings in late April, and continue permitting and pre-construction coordination with Metcon and architects.

The board asked staff about a preferred schedule for construction updates; staff said they will provide updates at a cadence the board prefers (monthly or bi-monthly were mentioned).