Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Recovery topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Avery County schools outline $9.41 million Hurricane Helene recovery plan, board urges phased work
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Terry Worrell told a joint meeting the district requested $9,413,800 from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for roof and HVAC repairs at five schools; commissioners urged prioritizing projects because the funds likely won’t cover all work.
Avery County school leaders on April 15 told the county commission and school board they have sought $9,413,800 in Hurricane Helene capital recovery funding for roof and HVAC repairs across five schools and urged careful prioritization.
Dr. Terry Worrell, superintendent, said the district submitted documentation to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction outlining needs and the Helene capital funding total: “The Helene Capital Funding is $9,413,800,” he said. The projects listed include roof replacement or repair and HVAC work at Avery Middle, Riverside Elementary, Avery High, Cranberry Middle and Newland Elementary.
Commissioner Dennis Aldridge cautioned that the dollar amount is unlikely to cover all the listed projects and urged the district to sequence work. “It is critical that these projects are prioritized before the money is expended and only work on one project at a time,” Aldridge said.
The discussion also returned to recently completed capital work from the 2023–24 budget. Dr. Worrell read a list of completed items — from a replaced high-school wall and a redone waterline at Newland Elementary to a new chiller at Crossnore Elementary and a finished high-school kitchen renovation — but said the kitchen outcome was mixed: “We are 80% happy with the way the kitchen renovation at the high school turned out. It is completed. The floor has been redone. The quality of the work could have been better.” When Aldridge pressed about where contract money ended up, Dr. Worrell said the board attorney is negotiating outstanding contract and temperature/water-flow issues.
Why it matters: the Helene funds target multiple major building systems across the district; limited funding and unfinished negotiations over prior capital work mean trustees must decide which projects to start first. No final sequencing decision was recorded at the meeting; board members signaled a preference for prioritization before spending begins.
Next steps: the district’s submission to the state agency remains the basis for funding; the board attorney is handling negotiations tied to recent projects and the board will address prioritization before expenditures begin.
