03/29/2024
Spread the love

By Blake Proctor

Commission Chairman Ray Britt gaveled the Bladen County Board of Commissioners to order in special called session at 4pm Thursday the 3rd to hear a request from the County Schools, who are seeking a North Carolina Public School Capital Fund matching grant to replace two old county schools with a single facility.

School Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor was present telephonically to present their case, and members of the school administrative staff were on hand to provide technical support if required.

Dr. Taylor explained to the Commission that this project would erect a new 700-pupil school behind the 100+year-old Tar Heel Middle School located in Town on NC Highway 87, and then to demolish that school for use as a parking area.

When the new Tar Heel facility is ready for occupancy, the students of Plainview Primary School on Chickenfoot Road about four miles away would then begin attending the new Tar Heel Primary & Middle School; the Plainview facility would then undergo its own demolition.

According to the School Board’s grant application, building the Tar Heel facility would cost $15,000,000 in state funds plus $7,000,000 in local match; counstruction would begin by mid 2021, and the school would be ready for occupancy the following summer.

Dr. Taylor asked School System Maintenance Director Russell Worley to step to the dais to explain the conditions of the school buildings in the county. Mr. Worley spoke for several minutes about the many and varied deficiencies in various Bladen school buildings.

Chairman Ray Britt, however, realizing that the conversation had strayed from the narrow guidelines for called meetings, requested that the Board return to the single matter at hand; he then asked if there was any further discussion, or if a motion was to be made.

Commissioner Michael Cogdell moved to approve the $7,000,000 local match to obtain the $15,000,000 School Construction Grant, with a second by Commissioner Ophelia Munn-Goins; the vote to approve the motion was 5-3, with Commissioners Charles Ray Peterson, David Gooden, and Daniel Dowless voting nay.

The application would be forwarded to the State Department of Instruction first thing in the morning.

With no further business, the meeting was immediately adjourned at 4:58pm.

 

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