Early College Update - June 23, 2025
Site work has begun at both the main campus location, as well as north satellite parking area. Once the initial site work is complete, concrete footers will be poured and the vertical walls will begin to be constructed. A groundbreaking ceremony is being scheduled for mid-July. Further information regarding the groundbreaking ceremony will be announced as details become available.
Early College Update - May 13, 2025
Barnhill Contracting Company submitted the Guaranteed Maximum Price contract in April 2025 and was approved by the Dare County Board of Commissioners during the board’s regularly scheduled May 2025 meeting. The bond sale is scheduled to take place in July 2025. Mobilization of equipment and materials will begin in late June 2025, with sitework for the Early College tentatively scheduled to begin shortly thereafter.
Early College Update - March 12, 2025
The Manteo Planning Board approved a Special Use Permit during the board’s March 2024 meeting to allow for an early college to be built on the proposed parcel in Manteo. Sub-contractor bids were opened on March 13, 2025. The next round of bids will be opened on March 21, 2025. Connex storage boxes have been delivered onsite with the approval of College of The Albemarle (COA) and the Town of Manteo. Dare County is tentatively aiming for a GMP to be received and approved during the April 2025 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting, which will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 7, 2025. Further updates will be provided once additional information becomes available.
Early College Update - December 2, 2024
During the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 9 a.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024, the Dare County Board of Commissioners approved the capital project ordinance for the Dare County Early College and authorized Dare County Manager Bobby Outten to sign the pre-construction contract with Barnhill Contracting Company, which was selected as the construction manager at risk for the project at the board’s November 4, 2024 meeting.
Early College Update - November 4, 2024
During the Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting that was held at 9 a.m. on Monday, November 4, 2024, the Dare County Board of Commissioners approved Barnhill Contracting Company for preconstruction and construction services for the Dare County Early College building that will be built on the College of The Albemarle - Dare Campus on Roanoke Island. The Capital Improvements Planning Committee recommended Barnhill after reviewing five proposals for qualifications at their meeting on October 7, 2024.
During the Monday, October 7, 2024 Capital Improvements Planning Committee meeting, the committee voted to recommend the Barnhill Contracting Company as the preferred construction manager at risk firm for the new Dare County Early College project. Proposals were received by Barnhill, Whiting Turner, A.R. Chesson, Sussex and Cooper Tacia. The committee members agreed that each proposal was very well done and provided a considerable amount of good information about each company and the projects they have completed.
Ultimately, Barnhill was selected because of their past success in Dare County, their proven track record of being able to drive subcontractor participation, and their ability to deliver projects on time and under budget. Barnhill’s scope of services will include aiding in design and constructability, pre-construction services, and managing the overall construction process.
The new Early College will be located on the same parcel of property where the College of The Albemarle - Dare Campus is located; Barnhill was also selected as the construction manager at risk for the College of The Albemarle project in 2020. The estimated timeline of construction begins in the summer of 2025 and is complete in the winter of 2026.
