12 minute read
SRCA approves plans for $15 million facility
BY JESSI STONE N EWS EDITOR
Shining Rock Classical Academy, a public charter school in Waynesville, will be moving forward with plans to construct a $15 million K-12 school facility on the corner of Russ Avenue and Dellwood Road.
SRCA has been searching for a permanent home since it began operating in 2015 but hasn’t been able to find a suitable piece of property that would accommodate its needs. Classes were first held in a building on Lake Junaluska Assembly’s property and then the school worked out a lease agreement for a piece of property adjacent to the lake on Dellwood Road — still owned by the assembly — and placed three modular buildings on the site. The K-8 school has been operating out of those modulars for the last few years, but the student population is quickly outgrowing the space, according to Head of School Josh Morgan.
During a June 24 meeting via Zoom, SRCA board of directors unanimously approved the architectural designs and preliminary budget for the new school presented by design-build partner, BC Construction Group (BCCG). Performance Charter School Development will be providing financial resources to purchase the 13-acre property and finance the construction.
“I believe that this presentation represents the best chance for us to have long-term school in a great location,” said SRCA board Vice Chair Mike Mehaffey.
According to the architectural plans, the new facility will be a two-story concept to accommodate up to 650 students, a number the board is hoping to reach by fiscal year 2023. The 48,000-square-foot campus will also include a full-size gym — something the temporary campus has not had — a stage and outdoor instructional spaces.
Morgan told the board how impressed he was regarding the scope and volume of work completed by BCCG since the board signed a letter of intent with the company back in April.
“The amount of work that they have completed to reach this preliminary step is impressive,” Morgan added, “The floor plan that is being presented addresses what was asked of their design team from the meeting they conducted with our teachers after the letter of intent was signed earlier this year.”
According to BCCG’s estimations, construction will cost about $13.2 million with $713,000 set aside for contingency; $678,000 for contracting fees; $414,000 worth of interest costs and $950,000 for bond closing costs. The total project cost is $14.9 million, but a bond issuance would put the total cost for the school at just over $18 million. With a 6.5 percent interest rate, SRCA would be taking on a $1.2 million annual payment for the project on top of an already hefty debt load it took on to build
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Shining Rock Classical Academy has approved plans to move from its temporary location on
Dellwood Road to a new permanent facility by next August. A Shot Above of WNC photo
the temporary campus just down the road.
Morgan said BCCG’s timeline had the school being complete and ready for classes to start in August 2021. The board will have to start making rent payments to Performance CSD at that time. SRCA will have the option to purchase the property from the owner during the term of the lease. Morgan said the board should begin looking at purchasing the property by the 2022-23 school year in order to save money. Options include a low-interest
— SRCA Board Chair Michelle Haynes
loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or going after a bond.
“That gives us plenty of time to go through the USDA loan process with a 2 percent interest loan instead of 6.5 percent,” he said. “That could shave $100,000 or more in savings.”
This isn’t the first time SRCA board of directors has attempted to finalize plans for a permanent home. The board was working with Schoolhouse Development LLC in late 2019 to develop similar plans on the same piece of property, but the board backed out of the $13.4 million project when the school’s open enrollment numbers came in much lower than expected. While 428 students signed up to start SRCA in fall 2019, only 301 showed up for the school year during the first 10 days — that’s the number that determines the per pupil funding the school will receive from the state for the year.
The school will be using much of its state funding allocation to repay the project debt until it can secure a loan or bond, which means SRCA’s main goal for the next few years will be to grow enrollment, as board member Chad Carver pointed out during the meeting. As the board’s outgoing treasurer, Carver said he felt confident that the board could pull off the project cost.
“Once we refinance to a bond or USDA, we can really afford it,” he said. “We have to look at what we do to increase enrollment and I think we’re on that path. We’re more stable than a year ago. We owe it to the whole community to take a risk to do this — this is what this board and this school planned to do and it’s the best opportunity we’ve had since our inception. I think we should do it.”
Morgan said SRCA ended the 2019-20 school year with 309 students and is expecting an enrollment of 370 when classes start back this fall. Once the new K-12 school is completed, Morgan anticipates enrollment to reach 500, which would increase the school’s payments from the state to $3.4 million a year. For 2022-23, those enrollment projections reach capacity at 650 students.
“This is very exciting and provides our school with the space to grow and meet the needs of our community,” said SRCA Board Chair Michelle Haynes.
SRCA’s total budget for the 2019-20 school year was about $3.1 million. While Carver said the board was estimating a $180,000 shortfall at the beginning of the budget year, it appeared the school would be breaking even after all. The school’s revenues included about $2.2 million from the state, $810,000 from the county, $90,000 from the federal government, $33,000 in grant funding.
In other business, the SRCA board approved renewing Morgan’s employment contract for another year and thanked him for his leadership during the last challenging school year.
Entering the eighth grade, it didn’t look likely that Logan would get a Big Brother. Big Brothers Big Sisters has a harder time matching older “Littles” than it does younger ones. But BBBS Haywood County lucked up when Dustin, a swim instructor and lifeguard, came to the rescue.
Dustin, a senior at Western Carolina University, asked for an older match after watching “Instant Family,” a movie on Amazon Prime. BBBS Haywood Program Coordinator Martha Barksdale thought of Logan and was able to match them, in a socially distant way, on June 15 on Logan’s front yard. Logan’s mom and younger sibling were there to watch.
Logan and Dustin live in the same neighborhood. One of the things Logan really wants to do with his Big is learn to swim. In the meantime, they will enjoy virtual meetings and activities in Logan’s front yard. They may even meet up at the Waynesville Rec Center (currently, BBBS is not allowing matches to ride together in the same car).
For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County, or to become a volunteer, to enroll, or to become an Advisory Council Member, contact Martha Barksdale at 828.273.3601.
UCB donates $10,000 to United Way
United Community Bank is proud to announce gifts totaling $10,000 to four United Way chapters throughout the bank’s southeastern footprint.
The donations, which will help United Way further its mission and assist those in the community negatively affected by COVID-19, were made on behalf of customers who participated in the bank’s inaugural virtual Customer Appreciation Day activities.
“The past few months have been tough for our customers and communities, but we were proud to support through our participation in the Paycheck Protection Program, and now through a gift to the incredible United Way,” said Keri Wise, head of retail sales. “Showing appreciation for our customers is a long tradition at United Community Bank, and we are proud that we were still able to engage with them virtually, share positivity and support those in need.”
Foundation awards $172,000 in grants
Proactive grants from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund to assist frontline human service organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic approved $172,000 in funding.
The grants include $50,000 to Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project – to work with regional farmers to support the local food system and determine immediate needs, to connect farms with customers in light of closures of institutional purchasers and to provide emergency mini-grants to purchase necessary PPE; $30,000 to OnTrackFinancial Education and Counseling – to offer online services including financial, unemployment, and housing/utilities assistance, to provide emergency cash flow counseling, and to deliver resources for legal aid, food, health insurance, and students loans; $20,000 to Vecinos Farmworker Health Program – to provide COVID-19 information and resources for food and legal aid to migrant workers and to deliver free health care to migrant workers, primarily through a mobile clinic and $20,000 to WNC Workers Center — to provide workshops, primarily to farm workers and immigrants working in the poultry industry, addressing workplace safety, wage theft and women’s safety and to raise funds to help immigrants who do not qualify for unemployment, rent and utility protection, or federal or state relief funds.
Nonprofits can review current grant programs and deadlines at www.cfwnc.org.
Second Blessing needs donations, volunteers
The Second Blessing Thrift Store, located in Waynesville, is open, is expanding operations and is in need of donations and volunteers.
The Second Blessing Thrift Shop, a nonprofit that assists with funding The Open Door Ministry, is a community based and supported Christian organization that now provides mobile food distribution, boxed overnight meals and faithful encouragement to anyone in need.
Volunteers needed at The Second Blessing Thrift Store include store greeters and floaters. Store greeters welcome guests upon arrival and will assist with communicating information to shoppers about required safety measures i.e. mask coverings and the use of hand sanitizer while shopping. Floaters assist with pricing, pro
vide information, clean surfaces and perform other various day-to-day operational assistance.
Donations are being accepted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday. All donations, including furniture, are to be set inside the opened gate onto the dock. Dock assistance will not be available. Six-foot safe distancing will be enforced and practiced if volunteers are available to assist. Clothing donations must be bagged, and item donation must be boxed for acceptance.
Volunteers are a valued asset to the Second Blessing’s team and schedules are flexible with volunteer’s availability. To volunteer, call Bill Guy at 828.356.4948, or email at bill.guy@longschapel.com.
Bridge loan support available
The Appalachian Regional Commission and Dogwood Health Trust recently announced funding to support the NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program, the bridge loan program designed to help North Carolina small business owners and family farms grapple with, and recover from, the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Rebuilding our state’s economy and supporting small-business owners will take a collaborative effort scaled to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic,” said NC Rural Center President Patrick Woodie. “We are grateful that the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Dogwood Health Trust recognize the importance of this work and have joined in these efforts. We are proud to have their support assisting our state’s small business owners at this unprecedented time.”
Dogwood Health Trust’s and ARC’s contributions will be used to supplement and stretch the Program’s initial funding to better serve more business entities and family farms in Western North Carolina. Small-business owners affected by COVID-19 can learn more at www.ncrapidrecovery.org, or contact Business Link North Carolina (BLNC) at 800.228.8443 to speak with someone about this program or other resources available to small businesses.
Franklin’s finance officer retires
The Town of Franklin recently announced the promotion of Sarah Bishop to the role of finance officer. Bishop has worked for the Town since 2016 when she started as a billing clerk for the Public Works Department. From that position she moved into the role of tax collector and then into the Finance Department as the accounts payable technician. She has a two-year degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in business management and leadership.
Bishop will be stepping into the position as a result of the retirement of Kyra Doster after 30 years of service to the town and Macon County. Doster joined the Town in 2015. She has been instrumental in implementing the newest accounting software for the town, providing oversight in daily financial operations and providing knowledgeable budgetary oversight during her tenure.
Franklin clerk earns certification
Travis D. Tallent, town clerk for the town of Franklin, has been awarded the prestigious designation of North Carolina Certified Municipal Clerk from the N.C. Association of Municipal Clerks, along with the School of Government of the UNCChapel Hill for achieving its high educational, experience and service requirements.
The certified municipal clerk program is a fiveyear designation with requirements for continuing education to sustain and develop the ever-changing knowledge of the profession of municipal clerks.
Grants given to support women
The Women for Women giving circle recently awarded seven grants totaling $309,988. With these awards and in its 15th year of grantmaking, the giving circle has invested more than $4.1 million to support programs serving WNC women and girls.
Women for Women’s mission is to improve the lives of women and girls through collective giving, and the grant program supports the facilitation of safe living and work environments.
CFWNC works with families, businesses and nonprofits to strengthen communities through the creation of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking. A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,100 funds and has facilitated more than $254 million in philanthropy since its founding in 1978. Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.
