Fort Mill schools look to a familiar company to build the next elementary school
The contractor that built the two most recent elementary schools in Fort Mill will get first shot at the next. And, likely, a new middle school to come.
On Wednesday, the Fort Mill school board gave the go ahead to negotiate with contractor Shelco, LLC. to build the district’s 12th elementary school. The district worked with Shelco on Kings Town and River Trail elementary schools.
The new school is part of an 88-acre property at 278 Gold Hill Road that’s now working its way through the York County rezoning process. Plans for the same property include a new middle school.
Joe Romenick, assistant superintendent of facilities and operations for the district, said there were discussions with Shelco on the new middle school since it’s on the same property, but the focus of the new contract is the elementary school. The middle school would need a bond referendum to fund it. The district has money for the elementary school.
“It’s the one that we are able to fund for the most part — maybe not 100%, but largely — with the impact fee money,” said Board Chair Kristy Spears.
The Fort Mill School District has a long-standing impact fee -- a charge on new residential construction used to pay for schools. The amount increased significantly in 2018, from $2,500 per new residence to more than $18,000 for each new home and $12,000 per new apartment. Multiple legal cases followed. The most recent involved the district and York County, on clarification how the district could use collected money.
More than $50 million accrued in impact fee revenue as the district awaited court decisions. Now resolved, the district can use that money for projects like the new elementary school.
Romenick said it will be a couple of months before a final price for the new elementary school is determined. He’d like to get started with the project in April, Romenick told the board.
Almost a year ago, the board voted to start contract negotiations with a design firm not only on the new elementary and middle school on Gold Hill Road, but also an additional elementary school. The board aimed to do preliminary work on sites to speed up the process when and if the district got funding to build at the sites. A capital needs list at the time projected the need for three new schools by 2025.
The district is finalizing a new 10-year capital needs study now.
