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Macon County approves up to $25,000 for supplemental geotechnical testing at Franklin High School site
Summary
The Macon County Board of Commissioners voted 3-1 Feb. 27 to approve a $21,000 proposal from Kessell Engineering for supplemental geotechnical sampling at the Franklin High School Frogtown area and a budget amendment not to exceed $25,000 from General Fund Contingency to the FHS Project Fund.
County Manager Derek Roland told the Macon County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 27 that engineers need additional geotechnical data for the Frogtown portion of the Franklin High School construction site because they are concerned about the slope and its ability to support fill dirt.
The board approved a proposal from Kessell Engineering for $21,000 and a supporting budget amendment not to exceed $25,000 to be transferred from General Fund Contingency to the FHS Project Fund. "We are not losing anything by waiting for the March meeting," Roland said earlier about a different agenda item; on the geotechnical work he described revised plans and the need for additional sampling to confirm suitability.
The motion to approve the Kessell proposal and the budget amendment was made by Commissioner Josh Young and seconded by Commissioner Danny Antoine. The board voted 3-1 in favor: Commissioners Josh Young, Danny Antoine and Gary Shields voted to approve; Commissioner John Shearl opposed. Commissioner Paul Higdon was excused. Commissioner Shearl said he would vote against the measure "because he is still getting calls from people wanting this on a referendum," while also saying he is convinced the work is needed.
The $21,000 proposal covers supplemental sampling and analysis; the county placed a $25,000 cap on the budget amendment to allow for modest additional costs that may arise during this phase. The agenda note says Item #2 in the engineering proposal will not be needed for this phase. The motion and vote authorize staff to proceed with the sampling and related work under the approved funding limit.
Two other agenda items were removed: a public hearing about a proposed private sale of county-owned property and incentives was withdrawn at County Manager Derek Roland's request for re-noticing, and a proposal for a public safety radio system at Macon Middle School was pulled so staff can obtain a second vendor proposal by the March regular meeting. The board held two closed sessions during the meeting under cited North Carolina statutes for attorney-client privilege and economic development before adjourning at 6:48 p.m.
Next steps: staff will contract with Kessell Engineering to begin supplemental testing and report results to the board; the county will re-notice the public hearing on the private sale and expect a second radio-system proposal at the March meeting.
