Nancy Reynolds Elementary School has played an important role in Jan Cox's life.
Four generations of her family have attended or are attending the historical school.
Cox carried with her a sliver of sadness yesterday when she stepped forward at the Stokes County Board of Commissioners meeting yesterday and backed a plan to demolish the school and build a new one in its footprint.
"We regret that as a community, we did not pursue renovation when the school could be renovated," Cox said after the meeting.
She is a member of the Nancy Reynolds Historical Committee, which formed last year to try to save the 86-year old school in Westfield.
Initially Cox and other committee members wanted to see the school renovated. However, she changed her mind after hearing a feasibility study prepared by Ersoy Brake Appleyard Architects of Winston-Salem.
The feasibility study recommended three options to the Stokes County Board of Education last week: Tear down the school and build a new one; tear down everything but the gym and a front wall and build behind the front wall; or tear down everything but the gym and build a school in the same footprint with an exterior that is similar to the old school.
Renovating the school would not have been feasible because it was in such disrepair.
School Superintendent Stewart Hobbs told commissioners yesterday that the board of education wants to move forward with the third option.
"When people pull up to it, it will look like the old Nancy Reynolds, but it will be a 21st-century modern building," Hobbs said.
The estimated cost for the new school is $9.4 million. It would be 50,000-square feet, which is several thousand feet bigger than the current school.
The architecture firm reported that the new school could be ready by August 2011. However, Hobbs told the commissioners that he thinks the completion date could be moved up and the cost would probably be much less.
In August, students now at Nancy Reynolds will be split among two new modular classrooms that will be put on the campus of Pinnacle Elementary School while their school is being built.
Commissioners were supportive of the new plan but did not take a vote on it.
"Due diligence has been done, and it's time to get to work," said Leon Inman, the chairman of the commissioners.
The county plans to pay for the school through Certificates of Participation, a type of lease purchase agreement commonly used by municipalities for capital projects. The county's bid for such a certificate must be reviewed by a commission of the N.C. Department of the State Treasurer. The process could take a few months, said Bryan Steen, the county manager.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lodonnell@wsjournal.com.
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