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A groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation/ expansion of the Rockbridge Innovation Center is set for tomorrow, Thursday, at 10 a.m., after the Board of Supervisors on Monday approved funding for the construction project.
The supervisors authorized the county School Board to enter into a contract with KNA Contracting LLC in accordance with its low bid, and instructed staff to work with Davenport and Company and bond counsel to enter the Virginia Public School Authority fall pool. The amount to be borrowed is $12,379,626. Any contingency needed for cost overruns is to come from the county schools’ capital escrow account.
Including architectural and engineering costs, the total project costs are projected to be $14,789,196. It was pointed out Monday that this amount exceeds the $13.2 million that it cost to build Rockbridge County High School in the early 1990s. The amount being borrowed, $12,379,626, is what is needed after taking into account a $2,409,570 School Construction Assistance Program grant awarded by the Virginia Department of Education. The Board of Supervisors had earlier authorized borrowing up to $9 million based on pre-Covid estimates of a $7.7 million construction project. The Board was notified in April that an updated architect’s estimate indicated that the costs would be considerably higher.
Chairman David McDaniel commented that the origins of the plans date back more than four years, to when he was a member of the School Board. He expressed satisfaction that the project is finally coming to fruition.
Leslie Ayers made a motion to authorize the higher amount of spending so the project can proceed. Dan Lyons seconded the motion, which passed 5-0.
Rockbridge County is to be responsible for paying 82.77 percent, or $10,246,616, of the costs while Lexington will pay 17.23 percent, or $2,133,009. The division of capital costs is based on a 1989 agreement between the county and Lexington, when the two jurisdictions decided to consolidate their three high schools into one.
