Jake, construction projects presenter for Jackson County Public Schools, told the school board the district is awaiting a full topographic survey that will inform design options for the planned middle school and other capital projects. The 58-acre parcel under study recently grew to about 64 acres after the county purchased adjacent property, Jake said, and county coordination is ongoing on site access and earthwork needs.

The survey — contracted through a Haywood County firm — will feed civil engineering work and influence whether the new middle school is designed as a one-, two- or three-story building, Jake said. He added the board and staff remain focused on meeting the Department of Public Instruction condition tied to a $52,000,000 grant requiring the district to break ground within two years. "We're going to meet that. We're not handing back our $52,000,000," Jake said during his update.

Jake described progress on several other projects: an early-stage design and value-engineering process for Fairview and the bus garage, further planning work for Smoky Mountain High School and Blue Ridge Early College, and short-term coordination with county officials and private projects to secure fill material. He said the district is seeking to balance functionality and budget on each project, and in some cases will pare nonessential aesthetic items.

Board members approved an interlocal agreement formalizing joint work with Jackson County on these projects. The agreement establishes a joint committee to consult on requests for qualifications and project selection and formalizes the collaborative process the district said it has been following in practice.

The board also approved a contract with Pinnacle to serve as architect/engineer on certain projects, including allowing Pinnacle to pursue roof work at Smoky Mountain High School. District staff noted Pinnacle offered a fee of 7 percent on projects, a rate the presenters called competitive for current market conditions.

Background details provided in the meeting: the middle school parcel is described in the meeting as a roughly 58-acre site; the county's subsequent purchase of adjoining land increases the total contiguous acreage to about 64 acres. The district said breaking ground may initially mean site work or erosion-control work, not immediate building construction, but that heavy civil work could start within the current calendar year depending on survey and permitting timelines.

Actions taken at the meeting included approval of the interlocal agreement with Jackson County and approval of the Pinnacle contract to proceed with specified design and roof-replacement work. No dollar amounts for the full Pinnacle contract were listed on the record; the board was told Pinnacle’s fee was 7 percent of project costs.

Ending: District staff said they will return with updated survey results, engineering estimates and more-detailed project schedules as the civil designs progress and as architects move from schematic to detailed design phases.