Wayne County will use a $15 million grant from the North Carolina Education Lottery to build a new school.

The county is building the new elementary school in Fremont.  At this week’s Wayne County Board of Commissioners meeting, County Manager Craig Honeycutt explained the county will have to provide a $5 million match for the grant, and the county would be giving up its Lottery Fund for five years, which is worth about $1.2 million annually.

Honeycutt says the new school replaces an over 100-year-old building, and will help with class sizes in the northern area of the county.

Commissioner Joe Daughtery wanted to ensure the county was not locked in for the full grant amount if the project came in under $20 million.

On Tuesday, the Wayne County commissioners approved the agreement for the N.C. Education Lottery funds.

Construction on the new Fremont Elementary School is expected to begin this spring and be completed by spring or summer of 2023.