Duplin leaders back $124.5 million high‑school renovation plan, authorize grant applications

The Duplin County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to allow the Duplin County school board to pursue state capital grants for a $124,535,396 renovation-and-addition plan covering four traditional high schools, after an architect presented concept drawings and high-level cost projections.

Jimmy Hyde, the project's architect, walked commissioners and school-board members through site plans and cost estimates, telling the meeting: "The total projection for this site is approximately $35,000,000" and later summarizing the four-site total as "$124,535,396." Hyde cautioned those figures are projections, not bids, and said final costs will depend on design development and contractor bids.

The proposal would pair new construction and renovations at each campus — the architect said roughly two-thirds of the projected costs reflect new construction and about one-third are renovation work — and would include security upgrades, new intercom and fire-alarm systems, replacement of modular classrooms, new lobbies and, at some sites, new gyms and athletic-area work.

Why it matters: commissioners and school-board officials said the county lacks the local funds to cover the full project and that winning state grants is central to moving forward. Chair (speaker 1) and multiple commissioners emphasized they supported pursuing grant funding but did not commit county capital dollars at the meeting.

Officials discussed how the plan would affect other county programs and existing facilities. Commissioners asked whether the added capacity would make the county’s early-college campus redundant; a school official identified as Kevin said the plan would likely create enough seats if the early‑college model stopped but noted that early-college funding and program rules are governed by state waivers and separate policy decisions.

Several commissioners pressed for realism on numbers and timeline. One commissioner said bluntly, "We don't have the money to do this," underscoring the county’s fiscal constraints. Hyde and school-board leaders replied the next steps are to develop renderings and a DPI application; Hyde described prior successful grant work in other counties and said applications are typically a few pages with supporting graphics and that awards have, in past cycles, been announced quickly after application.

Grant program details discussed at the meeting included application timing and award caps: presenters said the state Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) capital needs grants can include both new construction and renovations and cited award maximums mentioned by presenters (approximately $42 million for elementary, $52 million for middle and up to $62 million for high schools) and noted a typical local match requirement in successful applications of roughly 5%.

Formal action: a commissioner moved that the county "allow the school board to empower whatever processes they need to apply for the grants" for the expansion; the motion (moved and seconded on the record) carried unanimously, giving the school board the county support to begin applications and associated planning work. Commissioners and school-board members said the vote authorized grant-seeking activity, not county funding commitments.

Next steps: school staff and the architect said they will prepare application materials and renderings and monitor the DPI application schedule; if grants are awarded, the school board and county would then address match requirements and project phasing.

The meeting also briefly noted a personnel item from a prior action: the board had approved making Darren Taylor interim superintendent and Hyde and board members said Mr. Taylor will take the oath of office later that day.