Haywood County board approves architectural contract to begin high school design
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Summary
The Haywood County School Board voted unanimously to hire Renaissance Group and 4f Design to begin design work for a new county high school, with consultants warning design must start immediately to meet an August 2028 target.
The Haywood County School Board voted unanimously to hire Renaissance Group in partnership with 4f Design to begin design work for a new county high school.
The board action follows a months‑long procurement and interview process the district said complied with state law governing selection of professional services. Dr. Tim Fite, partner at Southern Education Strategies who advised the district’s selection committee, told the board: “design has to start this month if there's any chance of having a high school available and finished by August 2028.” He described the procurement steps (advertisement, review of 10 statements of qualifications, interviews of five firms) and said the negotiated fee is “consistent with fees paid by school districts in your region.”
Sal Feracy, president of Renaissance Group, and Michael Winter of 4f Design presented recent regional high school examples and a preliminary site space‑allocation plan. Their preliminary plan showed an academic building, CTE and fine‑arts spaces, athletic facilities and ag/FFA space; presenters emphasized the designs will be tailored to Haywood County needs rather than reused from other districts.
Board members on the selection committee said the process included community surveys and staff input that informed the architectural program that will guide design. After presentations and brief discussion, the board moved to accept the architectural contract. The motion (moved by Ms. Reed, seconded by Mr. Bancstor) carried on a roll‑call vote: Reed — yes; Bell — yes; Farrington — yes; VanStory — yes; Curry — yes.
Next steps described by staff include further Q&A sessions with the design team, finalization of deliverables and a design schedule that must proceed before construction can begin. The administration warned that some elements on the program may be reduced as the design moves from site allocation to final documents and as budgetary constraints are reconciled.
The board’s action begins the district’s formal design phase; no construction contract was awarded at the meeting.