CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — The Catawba County Board of Education unanimously approved a plan Monday to begin contract negotiations for a middle school expansion project.
The additions and renovations are estimated to cost between $120 million and $140 million, officials said.
The board selected LS3P as the design firm and Hickory Construction as the construction manager for the project, The Hickory Record reports. The work will involve expansions at all five of the district’s middle schools.
The construction project is designed to facilitate the transition of sixth graders from elementary schools to middle schools. Currently, sixth graders in the district attend elementary schools, some of which are operating over capacity. Moving these students will reduce capacity pressures across the school system, district officials said.
Assistant Superintendent for Operations Dan Moore recommended the board pivot to LS3P after negotiations with the district’s first choice, SfL+a Architects, broke down. The Raleigh-based firm had been approved in February, district officials said.
Moore informed the board during a Monday night meeting that the school system would instead move forward with its second-choice firm for the design phase.
The board also selected Hickory Construction to serve as the construction manager for the expansion. Moore said a committee, including district staff and board member Greg Whitener, interviewed nine different construction firms before selecting the company. The board’s approval allows the district to begin formal contract negotiations with both Hickory Construction and LS3P.
Specific additions are planned for each of the five campuses, officials said. H.M. Arndt Middle will receive 35,000 square feet and 14 new classrooms. Maiden Middle is scheduled for 37,000 square feet and 14 classrooms. These expansions are part of a broader plan to renovate existing spaces at every middle school in the system.
Mill Creek Middle is slated for a 26,000-square-foot addition that includes 14 classrooms and a new 2,000-square-foot cafeteria. Both Jacobs Fork Middle and River Bend Middle will add 19,000 square feet and 12 classrooms. Like Mill Creek, these two schools will also receive new 2,000-square-foot cafeterias to accommodate the increased student population.
Superintendent Matt Stover told the board during a meeting on Feb. 23 that the school system is hoping to secure $120 million from the county to fund the project. Assistant Superintendent Moore previously presented estimates in January suggesting the total cost could reach $140 million. The final price tag will depend on the timing of construction and renovations, district officials said.
Catawba County Schools plans to officially move all sixth-grade students to middle school campuses by August 2028.
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