Formyduval Homes offers 30 acres for new Carthage Elementary School

The Town of Carthage announced that a developer offered 30 acres of free prime development property in town limits for the new Carthage Elementary School (CES) to the Moore County School Board at the Nov. 20 joint meeting.

The property is on Needmore Road near Bibey’s LLC, Automotive on the north side of Carthage where a bypass is planned in the future. It has access to Carthage water and sewer and fiber is in the ground, saving taxpayers nearly $5 million in infrastructure costs.

Vass-Carthage Road’s 32 acres purchased by the school board at $465,000 for the new CES does not have any infrastructure.

Read opponents’ viewpoints and the school board responses to the proposed Vass-Carthage Road CES site here.

During the joint meeting with the school board and Carthage Council, the boards agreed the communication was long overdue and appreciated.

Assistant Superintendent of Operations Jennifer Purvis reviewed four parcels for the boards and each had lists of pros and cons, with the Needmore Road property bearing the most pros.

Should the school board opt for the Needmore Road property, it would need to rethink the idea of building a new CES to accomodate overcrowding at Sandhills Farm Life and Vass Lakeview Elementary Schools because of the distance. The board would need to plan for redistricting and build the new CES for 400 seats and build the core for 600, instead of building for 600 seats and address the Vass Lakeview Elementary School capacity in the near future.

After the meeting, Carthage Councilman Dan Bonillo said Formyduval Homes was the developer who offered to gift the land.

The other parcels reviewed included land behind Cooper Ford, behind Pete’s Family Restaurant, on McNeil and Rockingham Street, acreage across from the fairgrounds and Carthage’s water tower land. Each has issues, ranging from wetlands, to steep slopes and safe road access and distance to ease overcrowding at Sandhills Farm Life and Vass Lakeview Elementary Schools.

Carthage’s water tower land has an eight-acre pond listed as a con.

The Vass-Carthage Road property has one deep pond six feet from the rear property line and two more beside it and a creek at the bottom of a slope.

When Purvis asked the price of the Carthage water tower land, Bonillo and Town Manager Emily Yopp said they had yet to discuss price and would let them know soon.

Purvis asked what the Needmore Road note on negotiations from the developer meant.

Bonillo explained the developer planned a subdivision around the 30 acres and asked the school board to supply the water and sewer pipes along the property to the north where he could tap on for his development. Prior to the discussion on a new CES, Carthage allocated $80 million to increase the pipe size for Needmore Road because it had slow service.

“We’re working on securing a road entrance to Glendon-Carthage Road,” Bonillo said about knowing people in town who wanted to keep CES in town and willing to help by selling and donating land. “All this came to fruition in two weeks, and we can supply a speedy approach,” Bonillo said concerning the bond referendum deadline in 2026.

Benefits to being in town on the Needmore Road property include nearby law enforcement and the fire department, Carthage’s infrastructure and its maintenance, no-cost police service during pick-up and drop-off times and that people want the school in town.

“We will stretch every dollar. We know if we lose Carthage Elementary we will lose something crucial,” Bonillo said about the citizens wanting a small school in town and the town having that language in its Land Use Plans.

During a discussion on New Century Middle School’s pump station that has been defective for seven years, Bonillo said the Town of Carthage would have had it repaired in a week.

“I think we got some lemons,” Purvis said about the two defective pumps that vibrate loudly.

“Seven months is extreme,” Bonillo said. “Carthage is a utility provider, water and sewer, and have the same pumps at Little River. Unfathomable a pump could be down that long.”

Residents call the Town of Carthage to complain of the deisel generator smells mixed with the smell of sewage, but it is the school’s responsibility.

Carthage Mayor John McDonald said to muffle the sound of the generators with muffles and Purvis said the manufacturer claimed the decimals were acceptable at 68.

Purvis said they were going on their third repair order and that Bonillo was right.

“Needmore needs a lift station,” Purvis said as she read the notes about the property and asked if they would work with them on that.

Bonillo said they would need to discuss it and Yopp told her that information on Needmore Road’s property came from her.

“I can recommend how we move forward,” Yopp said about a lift station for Needmore Road’s property. “We can write cautionary agreements, all kinds of things we could do.”

The next school board meeting is Dec. 1 at 1:30.

Nov. 20, 2025

Stephanie M Sellers

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