The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners this month locked in most of its previous promises to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for new buildings and upgrades of the county’s public school campuses and Fayetteville Technical Community College.
The board voted unanimously on July 20 to provide up to $510 million to the Cumberland County Board of Education for a new E.E. Smith High School, a new J.W. Coon Elementary, and for maintenance, repairs, and improvements. The board also unanimously reiterated its intent to spend $610 million for school construction and improvements.
The county school system, even though it is run by the Board of Education, depends on the county commissioners for capital project money. The schools have no authority to levy taxes.
In other votes, commissioners unanimously committed $46.7 million to Fayetteville Technical Community College. The money is to replace the school’s Cumberland Hall with a new building, and for other campus improvements.
Money for K-12 Schools
County commissioners voted to pay up to $160 million for a new E.E. Smith High School and $50 million for a new J.W. Coon Elementary. They also voted to spend $300 million on other school construction projects. These items total $510 million.
Specifically, the commissioners approved county budget ordinances for the spending, and are to transfer some money immediately, then borrow the total amount with bonds.
The Cumberland Board of Education had asked for $610 million. Other items on the school system’s projects list include a new combined elementary and middle school to be built in Stedman ($40 million), a new school in the area of Ferguson-Easley Elementary ($40 million), and a classroom addition for Gray’s Creek High School ($20 million).
Budget ordinances for the remaining school projects are to come later.
Fayetteville Tech Projects
Fayetteville Technical Community College plans to replace Cumberland Hall with a new building for $42 million, college President Mark Sorrells told the board of commissioners on June 22.
Cumberland Hall, which opened in 1967, houses the college’s funeral service education program and its electrical systems technology program. The building also has an auditorium used for community forums, campus functions, public hearings, and play performances of the college’s fine arts department.
FTCC evaluated the costs and benefits in whether to renovate or replace the building, the college said in a memo to CityView, and concluded that it would be better to replace it.
In addition to approving $42 million for construction of a new Cumberland Hall, commissioners OK’d $4.7 million for other building improvements on the campus.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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