Two elementary schools in Carolina Forest will be built in the future. Here’s what we know
Two new elementary schools will be built in the Carolina Forest sometime in the foreseeable future.
At an Horry County School board meeting on Monday, board members discussed the initial stages for building sites along Carolina Forest Boulevard and River Oaks.
“We need these schools as soon as we have the funding,” Neil James, a board member of Horry County School. James’ district includes Carolina Forest.
The two elementary schools would address the current overcrowding at the three Carolina Forest elementary schools.
According to a Horry County Planning Commission document released Sept. 1, all three of the schools are over functional capacity. Here is where the current capacity stands:
- Carolina Forest Elementary School: 124%
- Ocean Bay Elementary School: 137%
- River Oaks Elementary School: 141%
The percentage is calculated by dividing the functional capacity by the forecasted amount of students physically on campus during the 2022-23 school year. Functional capacity is “the result of comparing the actual use of a space in a facility against the original design intent of the facility,” the document states.
The stages include selecting an architect firm and a planning concept. Board members selected SMHa Architects, a Mount Pleasant-based company, to be recommended for approval at the September 26 board meeting. If approved, a contract is estimated to cost $4.4 million, including reimbursement fees and a set design.
Along with the $4.4 million contract, a planning concept called the Integrated Delivery Method (IPD) will be submitted for approval at the next board meeting. An IPD means that the county would integrate a general contractor into the design team early on to save money and time in the long run.
According to Joe Burch, planning coordinator for the facilities department, this method has proven to be effective. The same method has been used to renovate Conway High School and North Myrtle Beach High School.
“They can discuss and define the project scope effectively, design the costs and schedules early on, rather than joining the project later, when sometimes things are too far along,” Burch said.
In June of 2021, board members approved the allocation of funds for building two new elementary schools in the 2021-24 building program.
It could take a long time before Carolina Forest residents see construction plans. Burch said he hopes to bring a contractor to the board for selection by the end of January.