BEDFORD -- The Bedford County Board of Supervisors and the Bedford County School Board both voted Monday night to enter into a contract with Jamerson & Sons Inc. to renovate and expand Jefferson Forest High School at a maximum cost of $38.5 million.

Under the terms of the contract, which was negotiated under the state's Public-Private Educational Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002, any costs for the project that exceed the agreed-upon price tag will be paid by Jamerson & Sons.

Jamerson's proposal initially called for keeping the school's original gymnasium and adding additional bleachers to accommodate the school's projected 1,600 students. But the school board requested a new, larger competitive-size gym to be included in the proposal.

That and other features added about $3.6 million to the project, which Jamerson had originally estimated would cost about $34.9 million.

The timeline of the project calls for the renovation and expansion to be completed by December 2008 if work starts in June.

Supervisors will vote April 13 on the amount of money to borrow next year to fund the project.

Other features of the project include a new library, auditorium, math and science wing, an enlarged cafeteria, parking area and a new softball field and tennis courts.

Montvale District supervisor Bobby Pollard and Liberty District school board representative Debbie Hoback voted against the contract, saying the cost was too much to spend on the more than 30-year-old school in the Forest area of the county.

"I don't think it's right to spend $38 million to renovate a building," Hoback said. "I think there are other options that are better."

Hoback favors a previous school board proposal to build two new high schools in the county, at a cost near $60 million.

"This isn't my ideal solution either," said Forest District supervisor John Sharp of the Jefferson Forest project. "But it's a solution that I can live with."