Board acknowledges subdivision
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on March 3, 2015 1:46 PM
Dwight Cannon
Wayne County Board of Education dispensed with its business quickly Monday night, with the smattering of action items receiving unanimous votes, 6-0.
The only thing missing was its seventh member, Dr. Dwight Cannon.
The District 2 representative was again absent, with no mention of his whereabouts during the session.
When questioned afterward, Board Chairman Chris West said there had been a travel delay when Cannon attempted to make the train for the meeting on Monday from his home in New Jersey, where he lives and pastors a church.
The News-Argus reported Sunday that since Cannon took over duties at the church 16 months ago, his attendance record at board meetings has suffered. Over the past year, he had been present at every regular monthly meeting. The called work sessions and policy meetings have been more problematic.
Since January 2014 to the present, his overall attendance rate for meetings has been 59 percent.
In contrast to his absence, the audience was packed with constituents from his district. More than 40 residents, representing the Southern Wayne High School Parent Advisory Council and Saints Booster Club, showed up to lobby for a new multi-purpose structure at the school.
Lynn Williams, secretary for the Booster Club and Advisory Council member, requested plans for the second gym be given consideration on the next round of facilities for the district.
At this month's meeting, the board voted to acknowledge a letter from the Wayne County Planning Board alerting the board about a potential subdivision in the Spring Creek district and voted to declare property behind Southern Academy in Mount Olive as surplus, and will weigh a request from fire officials to install lock boxes in the county schools.
Mid-February, the district received a letter from Connie Price, planning director for the county, with a map submitted for consideration prior to the Planning Board's next meeting March 10. Its purpose was to solicit comments on a proposed development in the Spring Forest area.
Board member Arnold Flowers, who chairs the facilities committee, said he could not recall previously receiving such a letter, asking for input from the board before new construction began.
"I think it's 147 lots in this subdivision," he said, equating that to the possibility for about 140 children in that part of the county.
Fortunately, he explained, with the construction of the new Spring Creek Middle School, slated to open in the fall, the capacity in that district should not be adversely affected by another subdivision.
"Nobody ever comes to us and says, can we educate these children?" board member Rick Pridgen said.
He agreed that this is the first occasion he can remember being consulted in advance of a housing development going in, and said he hopes it might become a tradition.
"After 12 years serving (on the board), this is the first time I have ever seen this come to us," he said. "Just communicate. Let us know. Don't let us drive down the road and see the signs (for a new subdivision). Give us a heads up."
The board voted to reply with a letter of acknowledgment.
Flowers also introduced an inquiry received from the University of Mount Olive about property behind Southern Academy.
"We're not using that building and the building is in need of repair," he said. "It's our desire to declare it surplus property in hopes it can be used by the college.
"It has to be declared surplus, and has to be offered first of all to the county commissioners. They have first refusal."
If the commission returns rights to the district, it can then bestow it to the college, Flowers said.
"The recommendation out of the facilities committee is that in order to begin the process, we move that the old ag building and property around it, which is about one-third of an acre, subject to a survey, that we declare it surplus property, beginning the process of giving it to the county," he said.
Ken Jones, chief of the Pikeville Fire Department, made a presentation about the Knox-Box Rapid Entry System in hopes of improving emergency response times.
A lock box can be installed at each school, with only select members of a fire department allowed to have the security codes, he said.
Jones explained that false alarms at schools have been problematic, especially after hours. If the lock boxes were in place, it would alleviate time lost in waiting for a school official to respond and allow fire departments to better secure the building.