Board of Education discusses facility options

Members of the Alleghany Board of Education met May 11 to further discuss facilities needs, specifically different aspects of Option D, during a called meeting. The majority of the board voiced support for a seventh and eighth grade middle school project to be constructed on the current site of Sparta School.

Representatives of Pinnacle Architecture of Matthews were scheduled to attend, however, Superintendent Duane Davis said the firm had a scheduling conflict.

Option D, one of the four options presented to the Alleghany Board of Commission and members of the community, proposed a countywide seventh and eighth grade middle school on the Sparta School site. However, members of the board are still trying to come to a consensus on whether the school should include two or three grades. Davis noted Monday that it is the board’s hope that the design of the prospective building reflects the expected growth to occur within the school system in the next few years.

“I have had a few conversations with some of the commissioners in the last week or so. They seem to be receptive to the middle school concept,” Chairman Charles Joines said. “They seem to be concerned, of course, about the cost of building a stand-alone middle school.” Noting a foreseeable shortage of playing fields should building expansion occur on the Sparta site, Davis said, “There are not sufficient playing fields presently, and if you bring another group of kids in, it would make the problem worse.”

Responding to a question about playing fields at Sparta School, Principal Susan Murphy noted her concern.

“My concern will still be if we put a preschool area out on this end (where the parking lot near the K-2 building is currently located) then will we have enough parking for that area? If we don’t get the land that we need — he (Architect Randy Baker with Pinnacle) said he thought there was enough room, but I’ve had numerous people question that.”

Although enough level land for an expansion is a concern, Murphy said a section of metamorphic rock, called gneiss, was located on the grounds near the school. The rock, located northeast of the K-2 building where the playground is set to be relocated, could delay construction. Board member Faron Atwood questioned if grading stopped when the rock was hit, to which Davis said yes.

Board member Clarence Crouse added, “They were just trying to build a level playing field and they were going to try to dig back in that space as much as possible. When they hit that rock area there, they stopped.”

Board member Betsy Dillon questioned, “After they found that rock, did they just stop or did they go down and look how deep it was? Did they ever get an estimate on the cost of removing it?”

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