Nov. 24—ELIZABETHTOWN — Hard to imagine how building a new school in Tar Heel could have struck at a better time.

What once seemed opportune as a $22 million project now seems like a dream at $47 million, with no increased match from county coffers. The timing is the confluence of retiring debt for two high schools built two decades ago, the 2016 legislation passed when Republicans controlled both houses of the General Assembly and the governor's office, and the compromise of a still GOP-dominant General Assembly and the Democratic governor earlier this month.

Students going to the facility should reap the benefits of a state-of-the-art education environment, complete with green initiatives on the cutting edge. Rather than a $22 million project anchored by a $15 million state grant, it now is expected with upgrades to reach $47,142,022 anchored by $40 million of state taxpayer money.

County commissioners met Monday evening jointly with the Board of Education. Rusty Worley, director of maintenance for the school district, led the presentation on the Tar Heel school project. Commissioners were updated on design plans for the 800-student facility for kindergarten through eighth grades.

Robbie Farris, CEO of architectural firm SFL+A, shared that last week's passage of the state budget allows an avenue for the commissioners to qualify for $40 million on the project. In the simplest terms, pretty much all they have to do is ask, he said.

Commissioners promptly added an item to their 6:30 p.m. agenda and unanimously passed it, requesting the $40 million from the Department of Public Instruction from the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund with a $7 million match from the county. It is that grant pool of money which initially approved the school district for the $15 million in January.

The school board's needed action will come at a special called meeting next week. It is expected to approve the design team to proceed with upgrades as presented, contingent on receiving the $40 million. It is also expected to approve putting the septic system out for bids and order tanks at a cost of $72,715.

Farris outlined a number of energy initiatives with the project. The cutting edge portion of that is electric buses that can plug into the school, helping to alleviate energy spikes. Solar is also a part of the package, and had been figured in earlier.

The school board in January was approved by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for a $15 million grant from the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund. A local match is required, $1 for $3 in grant funds for Tier 1 counties and dollar for dollar in Tier 2. Bladen County is Tier 1.

The county commissioners offered their support for the grant request. With the $7 million it supplies, the district was in position for a $22 million project. Farris said the commissioners' request does not increase their required match.

Just as it was then, the project now does not have to be $47 million; however, the grant package is capped and local entities would supply any difference.

The new school will serve pre-kindergarten through eighth grades for students in the enrollment areas for Plain View Elementary and Tar Heel Middle. It is projected to open in the fall of 2023.

It will be built behind where the present school exists. The existing school will come down in favor of parking. Following some work by the Department of Transportation, the only school traffic to use N.C. 87 will be right-turn only for staff parking; student drop-off and pick-up will use Tar Heel Ferry Road. The access from the road to the school will have a major upgrade.

Applications for the grant money awarded in January were reviewed based on priorities provided in the law, which includes ability to generate revenue, high debt-to-tax revenue ratio, and the extent a project addresses critical deficiencies serving current and future students.

The fund was created by the Republican-led General Assembly in 2016 to help construct schools in economically distressed counties using money from the N.C. Education Lottery. This year's awards raise the total that has helped build or replace schools to $302 million.

The budget passed this month and signed by the governor was his first since taking office in January 2017. He vetoed other budgets from the General Assembly. A number of items in this budget were the result of compromise.

Plain View Primary, at 1963 Chicken Foot Road, has grades pre-kindergarten through fourth. Tar Heel Middle, at 14888 N.C. 87, houses grades 5-8.

Bladen County Schools earlier this year finished making payments on East Bladen High School and West Bladen High School. The retirement of that debt led to the decision, led by then-Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor, to request the grant funds for a new school at Tar Heel.

This story authored by Alan Wooten of the Bladen Journal. Contact him at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com.