Staff Writer

A scholarship has been established in memory of Marisha Jeter, the Union County High School cheerleader who was murdered last month.

Superintendent Dr. David Eubanks announced the scholarship at Monday night's school board meeting. Marisha, 16, was the daughter of board member Manning Jeter.

Eubanks said the decision to set up the scholarship in Marisha's memory grew out of discussions that began shortly after her death. He said it was the consensus of the district and the high school administration that a scholarship should be set up in her memory.

Contributions may be sent to the Union County School District Office at 130 West Main St., Union. Once $10,000 is collected the scholarship will be transferred to the Union County Foundation, Eubanks said.

“It will be controlled by Union County High School,” he said. “Generally these funds require a scholarship committee and each year that committee will make the awards from the endowment.”

Sims Middle School contract

Trustees voted unanimously to authorize the administration and M.B. Kahn Construction Co. to enter into a contract with the winning bidders on the Sims Middle School project.

Finance director Lynn Lawson requested the action, explaining M.B. Kahn, which is overseeing the project, is reviewing the bids. He said the district requested the authorization so the project can proceed as soon as the review is completed.

“The point in going ahead and doing this now which may seem premature is not to hold up the process and delay the start of the project because we need board approval,” he said. “Rather than wait a few weeks to get board approval, we're asking based on preliminary information for the board to authorize us to proceed and then come back with the final report.”

Based on the initial results of M.B. Kahn's review, construction of the building will cost between $15 million and $16 million. Earlier this month, the board voted unanimously to award the bid for the school's site work to McMillan/Carter Inc. for $1,575,575.

The 6-8 school, which will be built on U.S. 176, is one of two new schools that will be built by the district. The other is a K-8 school at the intersection of U.S. 176 and New Hope Church Road. Bids on the site work for the K-8 school will be opened on March 12 and bids for the construction of the building will be opened March 27.

Construction of the two schools and other aspects of the district's building program are being financed with revenues generated by the $42 million in bonds issued by the district in 2006.