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I-SS board shares excitement with county

Daniel Goldberg | Statesville R&L | April 3, 2007

Iredell-Statesville Schools’ Dana Project - formally dubbed the 21st Century Center for Education - has inspired a lot of talk in recent months.

Monday night during a rare joint meeting of the I-SS Board of Education and the Iredell County Board of Education, there was more talk.

Superintendent Dr. Terry Holliday fanned excitement for the project by talking about forward-thinking educational programs for K-12 and community college students. He also stressed that the Dana project would save tax payers money.

Rob Jackson, I-SS director of construction, talked about traffic patterns on U.S. 21 near the Dana Corp. buildings. He attempted to assuage commissioner concerns about a logjam by stressing that most travel back and forth to the 21st Century Center would take place off peak hours.

Director of Maintenance Services Dr. Kenny Miller talked about the environmental portion of a feasibility study done regarding the site. He said that the study did find chemicals in the ground, but nothing that wouldn’t be safe with remediation.

And commissioners talked about their uncertainties about the project, most of which touched on some combination of the topics listed above.

But what no one could talk about is whether the much-debated project even has a chance to happen.

According to Holliday, Dana has not agreed upon a $9.75 million offer from I-SS that includes an agreement by the company to assist with environmental clean-up costs.

Regardless of whether the 21st Century Center becomes a reality at Dana, Holliday was determined to make the concept an option for Iredell County at some point in the future.

“Whether we do it or not, we want you folks to know that we’ve done our homework and looked at this project from all angles,” Holliday told the commissioners early in the meeting.

Later, as he stated his hope that consideration of the plan has created time for economic development officials to search for other industrial buyers. “No need to get all excited about this because we don’t really know if Dana is going to accept the contract,” he said.

Both Holliday and Board of Education Chairman David Cash restated their willingness to get out of the way if another industrial user makes an offer on the building. Holliday acknowledged that “two or three” companies are already exploring the site.

But in presenting such a thorough plan, Holliday had already played his hand. School board officials would not have chased this concept so doggedly if they were not excited about it.

An extensive Powerpoint presentation given by Holliday, Jackson and Miller was dedicated to addressing several questions that have hung over the project since the beginning.

The superintendent told commissioners that combining multiple programs in one location would save Iredell taxpayers approximately $50 million in future facility needs.

Projected costs supplied by architects - which Holliday admitted tend to be high estimates - place the 21st Century Center at $53 million. Holliday said projected costs from the same sources for individual elementary, high school and office facilities are around $102 million.

Funding for the project would come from a combination of undesignated capital funds remaining from fiscal year 2006, similar funds for 2007 and 2008 and potential revenue streams that include money from a statewide bond referendum.

Commissioner Godfrey Williams seemed to speak for his fellow board members when he told Holliday that he was still not convinced that Dana is the right place for a school.

“As far as I’m concerned, the concept is great, it would be a value to the city,” Williams said. “We need to have this kind of thinking. I’m just not sure about the site.”

In addition to Dana’s proximity to U.S. 21 and the intersection of I-77 and I-40, commissioners questioned how the project would fit into an area that they believe will be primarily commercial.

Johnson quipped that the consultant who told Jackson that no changes are needed at the intersection of U.S. 21 and Glenway Drive should “send you a rebate.”

Sarah Haire Tice wondered aloud how she would explain to Mooresville residents why money was being spent on a new school facility in Statesville when the fastest growth is in the south.

Even Holliday admitted that the high school portion of the 21st Century Center would be a “stop-gap” to hold off future construction for a few extra years.

After the meeting, Williams and Johnson summarized the wait-and-see tone of the summit.

“I think everyone of us likes the concept,” Williams said.

“I feel a lot better about the environmental concerns,” Johnson allowed.

“I still have some concerns about the traffic,” Williams concluded.

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