Board moves Tucker Creek groundbreaking, orders second naming survey for consolidated Havelock middle school
Summary
The Craven County Board of Education moved the Tucker Creek/Havelock Middle consolidation groundbreaking to Feb. 17 and voted 5–2 to conduct a second naming survey limited to one vote per person, after district staff presented construction progress and survey results.
The Craven County Board of Education on Jan. 27 voted to move the Tucker Creek/Havelock Middle consolidation groundbreaking to Feb. 17 at 1:30 p.m. and authorized a second, one‑person‑one‑vote naming survey that will present two options: Freedom Middle School (Aviators) or Havelock Middle School (Mustangs).
Dr. Blunt asked the board to reschedule the ceremony to accommodate a partner; Miss Davis moved the change and the board approved the new date unanimously. District construction manager Mr. Williams told trustees the project remains on schedule pending weather, with sanitary sewer and new water lines installed and major connections planned during a Jan. 19 planned outage. "The next 30 days, what we plan to have done, is to have the actual footings dug for the 3 new additions on the end of each wing and to also have the slab poured," Williams said.
Williams described several site items still to resolve: replacement of a batting‑cage security fence that had been removed, removal of a large metal canister from the baseball field and installation of covered egress paths before students occupy the building. He said paint for the new addition is included in the contract but repainting the existing building would be a change order and would raise costs.
On the color scheme, Williams recommended dropping bright red (and maroon) in favor of darker neutrals such as bronze or dark gray so new paint better covers existing surfaces. "My recommendation would be to eliminate the red altogether, and just go with a basic neutral tone," he said, noting exterior work would increase cost.
Board members discussed naming options. Miss Wagner presented survey data showing 1,223 total responses: 233 selected Freedom Middle School, Havelock Middle School variations received 101 votes, and 587 respondents suggested other names via write‑in. Some trustees argued the original survey results should stand; others said a second survey limited to the two finalists would be a clearer community choice. After debate the board passed a motion to conduct a second survey with the one‑vote‑per‑person amendment; the final motion passed 5–2.
The board also reviewed project financing during the overall construction update: the total project cost was listed as $17,000,009.96 with lottery funds and local match covering that amount; to date the district has received roughly $9,854,004.54 for the project with a remaining funding balance shown as about $8.1 million. District staff said a recent invoice true‑up produced a reduction of approximately $140,000 and that JM Thompson has issued the first contractor payout, which will change next month's budget reporting.
The board directed staff to proceed with the revised groundbreaking date and to bring back details on survey timing and method for the one‑vote requirement.
