On Monday, Oct. 7, Dare County Board of Commissioners meets in regular session starting at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Meeting Room at the Dare County Administration offices in Manteo.

On the agenda is a report from the board’s Capital Improvements Plan Committee, which met on Thursday to consider progress for three capital projects.

The committee will recommend A.R. Chesson as the contractor for the project at the Health and Human Services complex. Chesson, with headquarters in Williamston, was the only firm to respond to a Request for Qualifications.

The committee and county manager Robert L. Outten are comfortable with Chesson, who built the Dare County Center. The center’s designer Oakley Collier Architects also put together the project at the Health and Human Services complex.

The question was whether to redistribute the Request for Qualifications.

Robert L. Woodard, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said “I don’t want to hold this thing up.”

Next on the committee’s list was the College of The Albemarle campus, slated for Roanoke Island.

A college estimate of space needed for the new building stood at 26,000 square feet, estimated at $9.1 million

Boomerang Design produced an estimate of 36,000 square feet to accomplish what’s needed. The cost is $14.07 million, “a significant increase” said Outten. The cost does not include renovations to the Professional Arts Building.

Outten reported that consultant Kennon Briggs said the building was “close to the right size.”

As proposed, the new building will have 13,700 square feet for academic use including one science lab for both biology and chemistry with prep room and storage space, a lecture hall seating 50 people, six general classrooms with adjacent storage and Certified Nursing Assistant suite with lab, storage and toilet.

The Hub with 5,000 square feet will feature the library, testing center, four small group rooms, a conference room seating 15 and the student success center.

The Student Lounge shows a building commons and activity room with 4,250 square feet. Also included is a data room and storage.

Added to the total is building support, like halls, at 40 percent of the total square footage.

The committee instructed Boomerang Design to use the $14.07 million estimate but include renovations for the Professional Arts Building within that total. The committee will review the results.

In the Professional Arts building, space for welding needs to be expanded and jewelry making doesn’t need as much space. The renovation was also to create administration space.

The last project on the list was the new Animal Shelter.

Outten reported that the shelter is not elaborate. “It’s a little bigger.”

He asked Whiting-Turner Contracting Company for a first go at cost estimates. The result was “off the charts.”

Outten asked for more detail. “Cost estimates remain high.”

Woodard asked why the costs were higher. The estimated costs are $4.61 million.

Some of the cost involves meeting regulations for animal shelters and the state’s veterinarian board, which require special HVAC systems and a drain system.

The animal shelter plans circulated for bids were 35 percent complete. Completed plans will be recirculated.

The site for the animal shelter is across from Dare County’s Emergency Operations Center. The dog park will move to the front of the property adjacent to Airport Road. The new shelter will be built where the existing dog park is located. During construction, the dog park will be closed. According to the architect, the programming count of the number of dogs that can be sheltered is 34 and the number of cats, 128. This includes kennels, protective custody, isolation, intake and adoption areas.

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