By Gregory Childress

gchildress@heraldsun.com; 419-6645

Chapel Hill -- The approval this month of a construction bid for a cultural arts wing at Carrboro High School has put the $4.1 million project on schedule for completion in October.

The school board awarded the contract to Chapel Hill-based The Resolute Building Co. The arts wing, which was part of the original design for the high school, was delayed at the time of construction due to financial constraints.

Todd LoFrese, assistant superintendent of support services, said the school district is expected to secure a loan for the project through the federal Qualified School Construction Bonds program in February, with construction to begin in early March.

Those bonds are interest-free through the federal economic stimulus that must be used for the construction or repair of a public school, or for land acquisitions for such a facility. School districts have up to 12 years to repay the principal amount under current market conditions.

LoFrese noted that Resolute's low-bid came in several hundred thousand dollars under the $4.5 million cost projections.

The school district was authorized to borrow up to $4.1 million for the project, and was anticipating having to use $441,000 in pay-as-you-go funds to make up the difference.

LoFrese said the soft-economy helped to bring down the cost of the project.

"It's a good time to do construction because of the economic downturn," LoFrese said. "Construction companies are sharpening their pencils and trying to be more competitive."

He said the lower cost projection is good news for other schools in the district that need attention.

"Because we came in under the original estimate, we don't have to steer money away from our older facilities," LoFrese said.

Curt Carlson, director of business development for Resolute Building, said the company is excited about the prospect of working on the arts wing.

"We're really pleased to win the job, being that we're local," Carlson said. "You don't always get that opportunity."

Carlson acknowledged that the current economic environment has made it a buyer's market for construction, but said the construction industry has begun to see a slight upturn.

"Now would be the time if you're planning a capital project," Carlson said. "You would want to get a project started in the next six months."

Since the school opened in 2007, chorus, band, orchestra, theater students and art students have had to become creative in finding space for their activities. Students have crowded into classrooms and shared space with each other or used space that was intended to be used for something else.

The band, for example, meets in a room that was supposed to be a weight room.

Meanwhile, the chorus has held concerts in the hallways of the school, and the theater productions have been held at various other schools in the system, including Culbreth Middle School, East Chapel Hill High School and Chapel Hill High School.

Once, theater students put on a production in the school commons where the cafeteria is located.