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Catawba County approves $10.8 million to expand five middle schools, creates construction manager post
Summary
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners unanimously appropriated $10.821 million in fund balance on May 4 to begin expansions at five middle schools—Arndt, Jacobs Fork, Maiden, Mill Creek and River Bend—and established a Construction Project Manager position to oversee the work; ordinances creating the capital projects were adopted.
The Catawba County Board of Commissioners on May 4 unanimously approved a $10.821 million appropriation of General Fund fund balance, supported by expected future debt proceeds, to begin design, preconstruction and site work for expansions at five middle schools and to establish a Construction Project Manager staff position.
County Manager Mary S. Furtado and Facility Services Director John Cameron told the board the funding will cover architectural design, pre-construction services, geotechnical and site investigations, contingencies and initial personnel costs tied to a county-managed project portfolio intended to add sixth-grade capacity at Arndt, River Bend, Mill Creek, Jacobs Fork and Maiden middle schools.
The board also adopted two capital project ordinances: Ordinance 2026-02 establishes the project account and an initial $7.02 million appropriation for Arndt, River Bend, Mill Creek and Jacobs Fork middle schools; Ordinance 2026-03 establishes a separate $3.78 million appropriation for Maiden Middle School. The ordinances cite Section 13.2 of Chapter 159 of the North Carolina General Statutes and direct county officers to proceed within budgeted amounts.
Furtado said the county and the Catawba County Schools board concluded in joint planning that shifting sixth grade into middle schools would concentrate construction work on five sites rather than eight elementary-school additions, with a total district need estimated at about $485 million; the county presentation emphasized addressing overcrowding while keeping projects fiscally measured.
Project cost components presented to the board include an estimated $4.5 million in design fees for four schools (LS3P, Inc.), $2.5 million design for Maiden (Holland & Hamrick), 1% pre-construction services estimated at $1.2 million, site investigation budgets of $200,000 per school, sewer design costs at two sites, and contingency allocations. The package also included funding (roughly $21,000) to cover the Construction Project Manager’s remaining FY26 personnel expense with the position proposed for inclusion in the FY26–27 budget.
Commissioner Cole Setzer moved to appropriate the $10.821 million; the motion carried unanimously. The board directed staff to proceed with the work and noted the plan to issue installment financing in spring/summer 2027 to reimburse the General Fund for project expenses incurred to date.
Next steps identified by staff include continuing procurement of architectural and Construction Manager At-Risk services, completing site investigations and bringing contract awards and project schedules back to the board for approval under the adopted capital project ordinances.
The board approved the ordinances and appropriation during its May 4 meeting; no dissenting votes were recorded.
