Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
February 23, 2006 issue
High School Renovation Opponents Raise Concerns
Story by Kathleen McFadden
Last Thursday, a group of Watauga County residents opposed to the building of a new high school met to discuss their concerns and formulate plans for moving forward with their public awareness efforts.
At the beginning of the meeting, ad hoc chair Gayle Henson reiterated that the group is not partisan and that its principal purpose is to raise questions about the Board of Education’s construction plans and to inform county residents about possible alternatives.
Henson identified the cost of a new building as a prime concern because of its potential to increase the county tax rate.
“Somebody told me when I was a young man that if I ever had an opportunity to handle someone else’s money to handle it very carefully,” Henson said. “Are the commissioners spending our money like it was their money?”
Henson told the group that he had obtained the architectural report for the proposed new school from Superintendent Dr. Bobbie Short, along with state guidelines for facility construction. Henson said that he had been unable to find a comprehensive analysis in the architectural report of the potential for renovating the building.
Henson then opened the floor to comments, and several attendees voiced concerns.
Former county commissioner James Wilcox pointed out that many of the elementary schools had been renovated rather than rebuilt in the past and questioned why renovation was not an option for the high school. Wilcox also said that the disruption caused by the construction process would negatively impact students’ high school experience through the inaccessibility of sports and the problem of having to park offsite. “Nobody likes to go somewhere and park a mile away,” he said.
Hunger Coalition volunteer Matt Cooper suggested that the high school—either a renovated facility or a new facility—could produce a significant amount of its own electricity through solar and wind power. Cooper said that ASU has money available for planning, that grants are available for such installations and that a renewable energy program at the high school could open up a new course of study for students. According to Cooper, a 1.5-megawatt wind turbine would pay for itself in five years and produce the equivalent of $400,000 in electricity per year.
Allen Trivette, candidate for the Board of Education and former county commissioner, commented that the high school “has not been taken care of” but that the building footers, walls and roof are in good condition and renovation is a more cost-effective option than new construction.
County resident Deborah Greene called for an in-depth analysis of the building by electrical, construction and mechanical contracts to assess the feasibility of renovation. She said that county citizens “will not give money for waste on half-baked ideas,” and said that the county should be looking closely at increasing teacher supplements because almost 50 percent of the current staff will reach retirement age in the next few years and attracting new teachers will be difficult given the high cost of living in the county.
“I just want accountability,” Greene concluded. “Show me. Show me before you waste that money.”
County resident Al Corum said that one of the problems was a failure to communicate. “The major failing of the high school controversy is the lack of communication. It is the responsibility of elected officials to mix and mingle with their brothers and sisters out on their turf,” he said. “I feel very uninformed, misinformed on the whole controversy.”
Greene pointed out that a $4.5 million annual payment on a $45 million school translates into a tax rate of 7.9 cents. The commissioners have already raised taxes by 4.5 cents, Greene said, and the school would add another 3.4 cents.
Henson told the group that he and Board of Education member Lowell Younce had recently toured the high school together, and Younce had pointed out what needed to be fixed.
“We can’t knock the Board of Education and the county commissioners and say they haven’t worked hard,” Henson said. “This is not about beating anybody, but about what is best for the community.”
Discussion then turned to the news that an unidentified party had made an offer to purchase the school site earlier that week. Trivette said that it would be useful to provide the school board members with a ballpark figure for negotiation, and he suggested an asking price of $75 million for the land, buildings and athletic facilities.
The group agreed that the Board of Education should have the property appraised before entertaining any purchase offers on the site.
Younce attended the meeting and told the group he was there to listen. “I certainly have heard what you said,” Younce said, and he pointed out that he has always been aware that public money is taxpayer money. Younce acknowledged that the board needs “to improve our communication with the people of the county,” but added, “unless it directly affects us, sometimes we are not all that interested. Our meetings have been open to the public from the beginning, but you make a good point. We need to educate the people.”
Toward the conclusion of the discussion, the group agreed to continue its public awareness campaign through ads in local newspapers (including High Country News) and to meet again on Thursday, March 2, at Mike’s Inland Seafood in Boone. The meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Henson said that anyone who would like to have dinner at the restaurant should come before the meeting begins.