By Laura Thompson
The Mount Airy News
lthompson@mtairynews.com

DOBSON - Within the next five years, Surry County Schools can build two new schools, Elkin High School can complete the next phase of its high school renovation and new stair tower, and Mount Airy High can expand its cafeteria area, according to a timeline approved Wednesday night by county commissioners.

"This uses every cent of the new quarter-cent sales tax for the next five years," Betty Taylor, assistant county manager for budget and finance, told the Board of County Commissioners.

The county's budget scheme for the construction projects also makes use of money from the N.C. Education Lottery and the county's school capital building fund. Those sources will provide $36.4 million of the $39 million the county plans to put toward the projects.

The $2.6 million difference will form a "contingency fund" not yet allocated to a specific construction project. Commissioner Jim Harrell Jr. proposed the extra money - which the county will provide through an undetermined means - to help cover some variation in estimated costs.

"I'm concerned about the general economy," he told his fellow commissioners. "I'm afraid some of these numbers aren't going to be realistic (when the projects are being built)."

Representatives from all three school systems in Surry County were on hand to hear commissioners discuss the timeline. Together, they have discussed about $55 million in construction needs with commissioners in recent months.

The plan will allow Surry County Schools to begin design and land-purchase processes for a $12 million elementary school near Dobson and a $15 million middle school near Pilot Mountain later this year.

If the elementary school is built first, its construction could be completed by mid to late-2010, allowing the middle school to be built by mid-2012. Taylor said the school system could opt to build the middle school first, but that might delay construction of the second school by another year.

"They're doing the best they can, I guess," Surry County School Board chairman Earlie Coe said after hearing the county's plan.

The school system had hoped to build both new school simultaneously, but Coe noted the system could do much of the planning at the same time even if it had to actually construct one school before the other.

"If the economy perks up, I'm hoping that might speed some of it up," he said.

The county schools also will receive another $2.5 million for an unspecified project under the timeline.

The county's plan would give $1.9 million to Mount Airy City Schools for the first phase of final renovations to its high school. The system has estimated that phase - half of an approximately $4 million wish list of improvements - at almost $1,992,000.

That phase, which includes expanding the Mount Airy High School cafeteria and dining area, as well as enclosing a 5,600-square-foot "commons area" between the cafeteria and the gym, could start in 2009, according to the county timeline. But Taylor said the school system could use $200,000 in lottery money to begin designing the construction now.

Elkin City Schools will receive only $5 million of the $7.2 million requested to finish renovations to Elkin High School, but school board Chairman Stewart Roten said the system still was pleased with the allocation.

"We're happy that we have some direction and a commitment of cash to the project," he said after hearing the plan.

Roten said $5 million would allow the school to "make a good start" on renovations, which include the completion of a stair tower, and noted the system managed to complete a $5 million project with only $3.5 million in recent years.