The new Hobbton High School project has been reduced by roughly 7,000 square feet, Sampson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jamie King reported at the school board meeting Monday night.
King said during the design phase of the project, the building became “bloated” and grew in square footage, necessitating the square footage be cut down to meet the original estimate.
“I don’t know that I can answer how that happens, but because of various design elements and things that need to be put up to code, the building grew by about 8,000 square feet in the last two months,” explained the superintendent “So, we basically had to put our building on a bit of a diet last week and we cut about 7,000 square feet off of the building to get it down to where it should be.”
Because of the project’s loss in square footage, the board will actually save the school system roughly $4.5 million on the construction cost.
According to King, the timeline on the project will remain unaffected by the cut. As of now, construction on the new school is expected to begin in spring 2026, and the building will be completed in August 2028, barring any complications.
Pleas for a new Hobbton High building have been ongoing for many years. Built in 1957, the current high school location has been cited as both a safety concern and a relic of the past due to its inability to keep up with growing needs and current safety standards. The list of concerns includes asbestos, poor lighting, narrow hallways, limited parking and classroom space, and many more.
In September,school board members met with the architects in charge of the project — Project Interior Designer Shini Jackson and Project Manager Timothy Reed — where they viewed a PowerPoint presentation detailing what the finished product would look like, along with some visual samples of flooring and carpeting. Jackson and Reed shared in-depth renderings of the school’s media center, gymnasium and a multi-purpose classroom, a classroom that is complete with a stage, dressing rooms, retractable seating and more.
On the the school board’s biggest concerns has been the project’s budget. At the September meeting, the project was roughly $1 to $2 million over its original $73.6 price tag. The finished cost of the school, $74.8 million, does not include additional facilities such as ball fields, greenhouses, concessions stands, etc.
King said during Monday’s meeting that discussions regarding the project’s current budget and their rebates would be a topic at either the December or January meeting.
“We’ve had lots of discussions about where we’re at on the budget with Hobbton,” said King. “One of the things that we will probably discuss at our December or January meeting will be some of the rebates we have. So we have about $4.5 million in rebates, which come from sales tax refunds.”