Board to interview architects for FHS improvements

Now that the school district has found some money to update Fayetteville High, it’s time to select an architect to come up with a plan. Today (Oct. 26), the board of education will interview five finalists competing for the job.

Since voters rejected a millage increase last month that would’ve funded construction for a brand new high school, the board has turned to accepting $52.3 million in allotted low-interest bond credits from a state construction program to make improvements to the current facilities.

$45.3 million would be used for FHS while the remainder would go towards a new Happy Hollow Elementary School.

The bonds, which are offered through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, must be repaid, and the district is expected to cut its budget in order to afford annual payments throughout the estimated 16-year loan life.

Interviews for the architect job will begin at 7:00 am in the Adams Leadership Center and will continue through the lunch hour. The board may make a selection after the interviews or may schedule another meeting to conduct the vote, said Public Information Officer Alan Wilbourn in a statement released Sunday afternoon.

Interviews for the construction management firms will begin tomorrow morning, Oct. 27.

UPDATE 10/26/09 1:40PM: Alan Wilbourn sent out the following message this afternoon: “Fayetteville School Board votes 6-0 to negotiate a contract with Hight-Jackson for architectural services for the FHS project.”