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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1973-05-165-16-73 AN ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY, VIRGINIA WAS HELD ON MAY 16, 1973 AT 7:30 P.M. IN THE ALBEMARLE COUNTY COURTHOUSE, SAID MEETING BEING ADJOURNED FROM MAY 9, 1973. PRESENT: MESSRS. STUART F. CARWILE, GERALD E. FISHER, J. T. HENLEY, WILLIAM C. THACKER, JR,, GORDON L. WHEELER AND LLOYD F. WOOD, JR. ABSENT: ~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j THEY FELT THIS WOULD BE TOO COSTLY AND INSTEAD THEY HAD APPOINTED A COMMITTEE TO STUDY THIS MATTER AND THE COMMITTEE HIRED AN ARCHITECT TO PERFORM A STUDY. MR, THACKER, CHAIRMAN OF THE SPACE NEEDS COMMITTEE STATED THAT THE PRIMARY SHORTAGE OF SPACE IS IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF THE COURT. THE BAR ASSOCIATION HAS REQUESTED SEVERAL TIMES THAT THIS SPACE BE INCREASED. HE ALSO SAID THAT WYANT'S STUDY SHOWS THAT EVERY DEPARTMENT IS IN NEED OF MORE SPACE. THEY HAD ASKED THAT A STUDY BE MADE ON MCINTIRE SCHOOL SINCE IT IS POORLY LOCATED FOR SCHOOL USAGE, REPLACEMENT IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE INEVITABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE, ACCESSI- BILITY BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS EXCELLENT AND THE PROPERTY COULD BE UTILIZED FOR MANY YEARS AND MR, WYANT'S REPORT STATED THAT THE BUILDING IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND CAN BE ADAPTED FOR OFFICE USE. ONE POINT THAT THE COMMITTEE DID NOT AGREE WITH WAS THE TIME SCHEDULE' FOR RELOCATION OF THE COUNTY BUILDING.. THEY F:~LT THAT THIS SCHOOL SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN OUT OF THE-SCHOOL SYSTEM UNTIL JUNE, 1974, WHEN THE NEW NORTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILL BE READY'FOR OCCUPANCY. MR.-WYANT STATED THAT HE HAD ATTEMPTED TO ANALYZE ADMINISTRATIVE SPACE NEEDS BUT DID NOT DELVE INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. THERE WERE SEVERAL OPTIONS OPEN. ONE OF THESE WOULD HAVE BEEN TO BUILD AN ADDITION TO THE COURTHOUSE AND THIS WAS NOT CONSIDERED. THERE WAS ALSO THE OPTION..TO TAKE OVER SOME SPACE WHICH THE COUNTY NOW OWNS AND MCINTIRE SCHOOL SEEMS THE MOST FEASIBLE..- HE BASED HIS SPACE REQUIRE- MENTS ON HIS PERSONAL STUDY WHICH SHOWS AN APPROXIMATE INCREASE IN POPULATION IN THE COUNTY OF ~1~ OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS. HE SAID THAT THE REPORT_ DOES NOT STATE WHAT EACH DEPARTMENT NOW HAS IN THE WAY OF SPACE BECAUSE NO DEPARTMENT HAS THE PROPER AMOUNT OF SPACE AT THE PRESENT TIME. 5-16 73 MR. WHEELER SAID THAT THE BOARD HAD DECIDED THAT NO MOVEMENT WOULD BE MADE TO MCINTIRE UNTIL A SUITABLE SCHOOL HAS BEEN BUILT TO REPLACE MCINTIRE I~ THE SCHQOL SYSTEM. HE THEN OPENED THE FLOOR FOR COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC: EDWIN LEE SAID THAT IF ADDITIONAL PUPILS WERE SHIFTED TO RED HILL SCHOOL THROUGH THE REDRAWING OF LINES TO TAKE MCINTIRE OUT OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT THIS WOULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO RED HILL. MR. WHEELER SAID THAT THIS HAD BEEN OF CONCERN TO THE BOARD AND THERE WOULD BE NO SHeFT TO MCINTIRE UNTIL A NEW SCHOOL WAS COMPLETED. A GENTLEMAN FROM THE MERIWETHER LEWIS P,T.A, ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY ASSURANCE THAT THERE WOULD BE NO REDRAWING OF DISTRICT LINES IF MCINTIRE WERE NOT TAKEN OUT OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM UNTIL AFTER THE NEW SCHOOL WERE COMPLETE, MR. CLARENCE McCLURE SAID HE COULD GIVE NO SUCH ASSURANCE. MR. RON ARLY FELT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM WILL CAUSE A REDRAWING OF LINES AND HE ASKED TO SEE NEW FIGURES SHOWING ALL STUDENTS. MR. McCLURE SAID THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD HAD PLANNED A REORGANIZATION WHICH WOULD PUT ALL THE SIXTH GRADE CLASSES INTO ONE SCHOOL, THEREBY MAKING ROOM FOR THE NEW KINDERGARTEN CLASSES. MR, JAMES VEST ASKED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSES WHICH ARE NOW AT MCINTIRE AND HAVE ONLY 10 OR 12 PUPILS IN EACH CLASS. HE THEN SUGGESTED THAT MCINTIRE NOT BE CLQSED AS A SCHOOL UNTIL THE SCHOOL BOARD CAN SELL ALL TRAILERS NOW BEING USED FOR CLASSROOMS. MR. CARL VANFOSSEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE ALBEMARLE COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, SAID THAT WHEN THE NEW SOUTHSIDE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IS COMPLETE IN SEPTEMBER, 1974, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL BE REORGANIZED AND AT THAT TIMEr THROUGH REDISTRI,CTING~ THERE WILL BE SPACE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSES AND WILL ALLEVIATE OVERCROWDED CONDITIONS WHICH EXIST NOW. A GENTLEMAN ASKED WHY NO SPACE WAS GIVEN IN MR. WYANT~S REPORT TO OTHER ALTERNATIVES FOR OFFICE SPACE. MR, WYANT SAID THE COMMITTEE HAD ASKED HIM TO STUDY THE ADMINISTRATIVE SPA~E~ PROGRAM AND GIVE THEM HIS PROFESSIONAL OPINION. HE FELT THIS WAS THE BEST ALTERNATIVE. MR. FREDERIC WHITESIDE, SOUTHSIDE ALBEMARLE CITIZENS ASSOCIATION, SAID THEY KNEW THE COUNTY WAS IN NEED OF ADDITIONAL OFFICE SPACE AND THEY HOPED THIS WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE MOST ECONOMICAL WAY. MR. DAVID LEWIS FELT THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION IN THE REPORT. HE SAID HE HAD SEEN NO-COST ESTIMATES COMPARING THE COST OF BUILDING A SCHOOL AS OPPOSED TO THAT OF BUILDING AN OFFICE BUILDING. MR, WHEELER SAID THAT ONE MATTER WAS BEING OVERLOOKED. MCINTIRE IS NOT IN THE BEST LOCATION FOR A SCHOOL AND IS SOMEWHAT OBSOLETE~ HOWEVER, IT HAS ENOUGH SPACE FOR AN OFFICE BUILDING AND ALSO PARKING SPACE. MRS, ~OR~C~ SAID SHE DID NOT FEEL THERE HAD BEEN ENOUGH INFORMATION GIVEN ON WHICH TO MAKE A DECISION. 5-16-73 MR, FISHER AGREED, HE SAID THAT THE TOTAL COST WOULD BE THAT OF RENOVATING A SCHOOL FOR OFFICE SPACE, PLUS THE COST OF BUILDING A NEW SCHOOL, IF iqCINTIRE ~IS RENOVATED, THE COUNTY WOULD HAVE EXCESS SQUARE FEET WHICH MIGHT HAVE TO BE RENTED, MR, THACKER SAID THE~BOARD WAS HERE TO GET AID IN MAKING A DECISION ON THIS MATTER, HE SAID THE COMMITTEE DID NOT CHARGE MR, WYANT WITH ESTIMATING A COST FOR RENOVATINGMCI'NTIRE SINCE THIS WOULD REQUIRE A COMPLETE SET OF WORKING DRAWINGSAND IN LIGHT OF TODAYS MARKETj THE COST WOULD BE ONLY A GUESS, MR, WOOD SAID HI.S ONLY CONCERN WAS TO SOLVE THE SPACE PROBLEM IN THE COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING CLASSROOM SPACE INTTHE SCHOOL SYSTEM, MR, CARWILE SAID THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING WAS INFORMATIONAL, OUTSIDE OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS~ THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAD HEARD MR, WYAt~'T SPEAK ABOUT THIS REPORT, A GENTLEM~N ASKED IF THERE IS A PROBLEM IN TAKING A BUILDING FROM SCHOOL FUNDS TO BE USED FOR GENERAL PURPOSES, MR, THACKER SAID THE SCHOOLS ARE NOT OWNED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD BUT BY THE CITIZENS AND THIS BOARD IS CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING THE BEST VALUE FOR EACH DOLLAR OF TAX MONEY, THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS CLOSED AND ON PROPER MOTION THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED,