LUMBERTON — Funding to replace the Lumberton Planetarium, which is managed by the school district, was approved Tuesday by school board members.

The Public Schools of Robeson County had proposed replacing the old planetarium, which was damaged beyond repair in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew blew through.

The new planetarium will be part of the Robeson County Career and Technical Education Center, which together has a price tag of $72,599,699, according to school district officials.

Bobby Locklear, the district’s assistant superintendent of Auxiliary Services, presented the budget to board members, explaining that the estimated cost of construction came in just shy of the $72.6 million budgeted for the project. He said that the extra dollars would be put into a contingency budget that would ensure that the full amount of the state funding would be used.

The board approved the plan with a unanimous vote of all board members

In March the school district received the final $12 million from the state that will be used for the Technical Education Center — including the planetarium.

At that time N.C. Sen. Danny Britt, R-Dist. 24 (Robeson County), presented the board with a giant check for $12 million.

“I just wanted to let you know that Robeson County has recently been awarded an additional $12 million under the Needs-Based Construction Fund funding. This again will help to build what will be a $72 million building for Robeson County.”

I timeline for completion of the project has not yet been set.

School officials said no timeline will be considered untill all the work has been contracted.

Background

In October, Freddie Williamson, the superintendent of the school system said the project for the Robeson Career and Technology Education Center and the Planetarium and Science Center projects will be completed in phases.

The center will house programs like culinary arts and automotive technology.

The location will also house the new Robeson Planetarium and Science Center.

When the old planetarium flooded during Hurricane Matthew, the need for a new facility became obvious.

That put the Robeson County Board of Education in line to receive state funding. Until the new planetarium is built, the district will contiue to use a portable planetarium constructed with an inflatable dome and projector.

“This is the first new building (like a school facility) we have built in over 40 years for this district,” said Bobby Locklear, the assistant superintendent of Auxiliary Services at Public Schools of Robeson County. “This is going to be our first complete from-the-ground-up project. We want this to be a state-of-the art building for everyone across the state to come and look at.

The idea calls for the new center to be a commodity for school districts throughout the region, not just in Robeson County. Superintendents within the surrounding region have expressed their support for the facility.