Board reviews Early College renderings, county names general contractor; project designers outline site plan

Designers and school staff walked the Dare County Board of Education through exterior renderings, floor plans and interior finishes for the proposed Early College building on the COA campus during the Nov. 7 meeting.

The building as presented is about 25,700 square feet with a central secured entry, two open stair towers, classrooms on the second floor and a full-service kitchen and adjacent multi-use dining/lobby on the ground floor. Presenters said they reworked campus parking, added new parking adjacent to the building and created additional parking near athletic fields to meet zoning requirements. Interior details include lighter wood tones, terrazzo floors with coastal motifs and semi-opaque glass for privacy in office areas.

"We basically reworked all of the parking lots, added additional parking on the side of our building, as well as redesigned the existing parking to the east," the presenter said while walking board members through site and floor plans. He added that the design team incorporated the school system's colors and coastal themes into finishes and murals.

Board members were told the Dare County Board of Commissioners recently selected the general contractor and that the county is starting pricing of the plans. The administration said the design team intends to coordinate schedules and deliverables with the county's CIP process; the project team will return for additional updates.

Board Chair David Twitty asked for a copy of the presentation, which administration agreed to provide. A follow-up meeting with the county’s CIP office was announced to take place in mid-November to continue budgeting and scheduling discussions.

Next steps: the district will share the presentation with the board and continue coordination with county contracting and CIP timelines.