Negotiations for land for new high school fall apart

The Craven County school system is looking at alternative properties for a new high school after failing to reach an agreement with owners on a price for its first option.

"Their price was up here, and our price was down here," said David Clifton, assistant superintendent for finance and facilities. "And we didn't see that we were going to meet in the middle. We are going to revisit earlier sites. I can think of at least three locations that we've looked at before."

Clifton referred to several pieces of land along U.S. 70 between New Bern and the Riverdale community, but he would not say where exactly they were located.

Since August 2007, school leaders have been looking in that area for enough space to build a high school and a middle school. The Board of Education had an option for land owned by Weyerhaeuser, for which the county approved funding, but the tract proved to have too much wetland.

"And with that funding, we haven't been able to agree to anything at that price yet," said Carr Ipock, chairman of the Board of Education.

Ipock said the board has not received new information in the last month about a property deal. Clifton said he has received three calls about land possibilities.

Officials still like the U.S. 70 area but are also now looking at several spots farther north. Clifton said the search includes areas along N.C. 55 in Craven County and U.S. 17, from the south part of Bridgeton to Wildlife Road.

Officials want 50 to 75 acres. Because of several organizations' recent agreements on properties in the county, Clifton said, he believes some owners are willing to decrease their prices.

"We can't help but think that the economy will bring the prices down," he said.

Earlier in the week, Jason Jones, chairman of the county Board of Commissioners, said money for a new high school is one of the large expenses the county faces in the near future. He said the county still expects a new high school will cost $50 million to $60 million.

Larry Moser, the county school superintendent, has said the project is urgent because of the need to divide the student population of 1,800 at New Bern High and to accommodate military and other growth in the county.