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Orange County schools eye Mebane site for new elementary; officials weigh traffic, recreation and sheltering roles
Summary
Orange County Schools and county staff identified a ~37.8‑acre county parcel next to the Soccer.com Center as the preferred site for a new elementary school; the parties plan annexation into Mebane, traffic studies, three public hearings tied to utility connections, and discussions about shared recreational facilities and sheltering readiness.
MEBANE / HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Orange County officials described plans on March 19 to locate a new elementary school on county‑owned land adjacent to the Soccer.com Center near Mebane, and they discussed traffic, recreation access and emergency‑sheltering design considerations.
Kirk Vaughn, Orange County budget director, said the school district is evaluating site testing and initial design on a roughly 37.79‑acre parcel east of the Soccer.com facility. County and Mebane staff said they plan to pursue annexation of the affected parcels into the Town of Mebane so the school can connect to municipal water and sewer and be governed under city zoning questions triggered by those connections.
Staff described early design considerations including carpool and bus stacking lanes and potential road changes on West Ten Road to improve drop‑off and pickup flow. Mayor Ed Hooks and Mebane staff urged coordination with NCDOT and completion of traffic‑impact analyses to avoid spillover parking and congestion on shoulder areas.
Officials also discussed partnering to provide expanded recreational access. Preston Mitchell said the developer for one nearby project agreed to donate parkland; county, school and city staff are exploring an oversized gymnasium or co‑located community spaces so school facilities can also serve municipal recreation programs during off hours.
Emergency‑management officials urged designing the new school with mass‑care readiness in mind. Kirby Saunders, Orange County director of emergency services, recommended generator interconnects with automatic transfer switches, separate pet sheltering zones, ADA accessibility, spaces for medical isolation, and separate power feeds or redundancies. Saunders said Orange County has theoretical shelter capacity across facilities for roughly 3,600 people but is constrained by staffing rather than physical space; he also highlighted risks from hazardous materials transported on interstates and recommended care in siting and design given nearby industrial corridors.
No final site approvals were adopted at the meeting; staff said monthly coordination and formal public hearings will follow as the design and annexation process continues.
