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Commissioners approve $311,093.83 drawdown from lottery repair fund to finish middle school HVAC
Summary
Swain County commissioners voted to allow Swain County Schools to draw $311,093.83 from the North Carolina lottery repair and renovation fund to finish payment on an HVAC upgrade at the county middle school; officials said the project has experienced equipment and timeline problems.
Swain County commissioners voted to permit Swain County Schools to draw $311,093.83 from the North Carolina lottery repair and renovation fund to finish payment on an HVAC project at the county middle school.
Swain County Schools representative Marcel told the board the district used federal ESSER III funds for most of the work and sought the lottery funds to cover the remaining balance. "We are requesting tonight that you will permit us to draw that down, from the repair and renovation fund, which comes from the North Carolina lottery," Marcel said. He told commissioners the school board had already voted to authorize the request and that signatures will be required from the chair of the commissioners and the chair of the school board.
The request matter-of-factly: the repair and renovation account balance was described as about $1.5 million, and Marcel said the drawdown is "about 20% of what we have in that fund right now." He said the total project figures include roughly $2.227 million for facilities improvements and about $118,000 in planning and design costs; the sum still needed to finish payments was stated as $311,093.83. Marcel said paying that amount will complete the project: "And that will finish [the] project. Yes, sir."
Board members asked clarifying questions. A commissioner asked whether lottery repair funds can be used for new construction; Marcel replied they cannot. Marcel and others also raised that the work has run behind schedule and that there have been ongoing problems with some newly supplied equipment; Marcel said the county and the district have been "in communication with our lawyer as to what our recourse is." The board moved, seconded and approved the request.
Action and next steps: Commissioners approved the drawdown; Marcel said the district will obtain the signatures required to release the funds. The minutes record the motion as approved; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally for this item.
