Plans for the Rowan-Salisbury School System’s consolidated central services building are tight. The back wall of the building will be a mere six feet away from Shulenburger Surveying Co.’s chimney.

Because of the close proximity, the office building’s back wall must be reinforced with a firewall, use special footings in the foundation and have no windows.

The Board of Education will discuss remedying that problem at its called meeting Thursday, according to Assistant Superintendent of Operations Anthony Vann.

Richard Monroe has verbally agreed to purchase the Shulenburger property in conjunction with the Rowan-Salisbury School System, Vann confirmed Wednesday. Monroe owns Richard’s Bar-B-Que, located in the same 500-block of North Main Street as the central office.

If Monroe and the school system buy the lot and have the building on it demolished, Richard’s Barb-B-Que could expand its parking area, and the school system could modify its construction plans to eliminate some of the extra expenses.

“That would be something that we would want our board to consider,” Vann said. “We’ve got some savings there if we can delete the firewall and add some windows.”

Tax records assess the Shulenburger property’s value at $218,289, but the property price listed on school system documents is $248,000. Demolition is estimated at $20,000 which would bring the total cost of the project to $268,000.

Monroe would pay $150,000 for a portion of the property, and the school district would pay $118,000.

The Rowan-Salisbury School System would recognize roughly $20,000 in savings by obtaining the property, bringing the estimated extra cost to $98,000.

“If our board so chooses, yes, we would be adding roughly $100,000,” Vann said.

He added that the district doesn’t want to pay for the additional cost of the footings and firewall, and that windows would make the building more “inviting and pleasing” for staff.

Also on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting is a continuation of Superintendent Dr. Lynn Moody’s one-year evaluation.

Board member L.A. Overcash said they started the process at their last meeting, but were unable to finish because not all of the board members had all the information they needed.

Because new board members Dean Hunter and Travis Allen will be sworn in at the next regular school board meeting, taking the places of Overcash and Kay Wright Norman, the board wanted to complete the evaluation so it didn’t run over to the new board.

The board will also discuss changing its policy on swearing in new board members. Currently, new board members are supposed to take the oath of office the first Monday of the month, but the Board of Education typically holds its regular meeting after the first Monday.

The Board of Education will meet Thursday at 4 p.m. at the district’s administrative offices, 314 N. Ellis St. in Salisbury.