By Matthew E. Milliken

mmilliken@heraldsun.com; 419-6684

DURHAM -- To be Montessori Middle School at Lakewood? Or to be Lakewood Montessori Middle School?

How about Durham Montessori Middle School or Durham Partnership Montessori Middle School?

A panel of school board members indicated a preference for the second option -- Lakewood Montessori Middle School -- Thursday. The school could be named as soon as Oct. 22.

The school, the state's second public Montessori middle school, will open next year at Watts Montessori Elementary. From August 2011 onward, it will occupy renovated space at the former Lakewood YMCA.

Board member Omega Curtis Parker said that she did not feel that "partnership" should be part of the school name and that naming this school Montessori Middle or Durham Montessori Middle might make additional local Montessori middle schools seem as if they belonged in a different community.

The new middle school was made possible in part by a deal between the YMCA, the school system and county government.

Heidi Carter was the only one of four board members present at Thursday's committee meeting who shied away from Lakewood Montessori. She asked how strongly Montessori elementary school principals and other stakeholders were committed to Montessori Middle School at Lakewood, which was the name that group preferred.

Administrators promised an answer before the 22nd.

In other business Thursday:

n The panel provisionally endorsed a $3.5 million contract award for the Resolute Building Co. of Chapel Hill for renovations and an addition at Club Boulevard Elementary. The bid is under budget for the project, which is funded by 2003 and 2007 bonds. District administrators called Resolute "the lowest responsive, responsible bidder."

n The panel provisionally endorsed a new policy that would require the district policy manual to be posted for all to read at the district Web site, www.dpsnc.net. The policy would also require proposed policy revisions to be posted promptly at the site for the public to review and comment on and enacted policy changes to be posted within a week of adoption. Schools would have to allow members of the public to use a computer to access policies, although principals would be allowed to bar visitors and visits would be disallowed if they interfered with education.

n District officials said that they are more than 70 percent complete with both of their pending energy-savings initiatives. The combined $9.8 million package should pay for itself in 15 to 20 years in the form of lower utilities. Upgrades include new lighting and lighting control systems, new or refitted fixtures to improve water conservation, and refined heating, ventilation and cooling systems, among other measures. In all, 65 projects are being done at 13 schools by two contractors. Everything should be complete by February.