22 minute read
Schools waiting their turn
Northwest, Northern Guilford schools on waiting list for repairs, improvements
$300 million spending plan earmarks money for land acquisition for a new school, but no appropriations for repairs and upgrades
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by CHRIS BURRITT
NW / NORTHERN GUILFORD –Schools in northwestern and northern Guilford County didn’t make the list of facilities slated for $300 million in repairs and upgrades from the sale of bonds.
The spending plan recommended by the county’s Board of Education and approved by the Board of Commissioners last month does earmark nearly $10.7 million for the acquisition of land, including for a new school in the northwestern section of the county, said District 3 commissioner Justin Conrad, who represents Oak Ridge and Stokesdale. Expenditures on improvements for northwestern and northern Guilford schools aren’t slated for the next few years, according to the $300 million spending plan.
“We are starting with the schools in the worst shape and working up to the schools with the least need,” school board member Deborah Napper said in an interview last week. She represents District 5, which includes Summerfield Elementary School and Northern Guilford middle and high schools.
The county is preparing to sell the bonds approved by voters in last November’s general election. Actual spending of the $300 million “is going to be a several-years process,” Napper said. “No matter where you are located in Guilford County, it may be years before you see the benefit” of spending.
Spending on other projects – such as the replacement of Northwest Guilford Middle School and the construction of a new northwest-area aviation high school – is going to take even longer because of their dependence upon future bond sales.
Nora Carr, chief of staff of Guilford County Schools (GCS), told the school board in March that the district’s staff is talking to county commissioners, community leaders and others about putting another bond issue on the ballot.
Conrad said he’d be open to the idea of placing another school bond on the ballot “in a relatively short amount of time,” depending upon how the economy recovers from the COVID-19 outbreak.
The economic lockdown last spring due to the pandemic figured into the county commissioners’ decision to limit the bond referendum to $300 million, Conrad said. The Board of Education requested a $1.6 billion referendum.
Photo by Chris Burritt/NWO Mobile classrooms at Northwest Guilford High School, built in 1962, have occupied the school’s campus for decades. The 23 units, which are more than 20 years old, are there to stay, at least for the foreseeable future, as the school did not make the priority list for improvements slated for funding from the $300 million bond voters approved last November. Northwest High School serves over 2,100 students, the highest enrollment of any school in the Guilford County Schools system, and hundreds more new houses feeding into the school’s district are on the horizon.
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Easing of overcrowding of schools in northwestern Guilford County is a priority of commissioners, said Conrad, explaining the appropriation of $10.66 million for land acquisition for construction of new facilities is a first step.
“That money is set aside for northwest Guilford,” he said.
Oak Ridge Mayor Ann Schneider said while she appreciates GCS’ commitment to buying land for a new school in northwestern Guilford County, she would like district officials to address immediate needs, such as replacing the deteriorating mobile units at Northwest High School.
“My issue as a parent of a recent high school student and a member of the community is that they need to address some of the problems in the short term,” Schneider said in an interview this week.
Mobile classrooms are in poor condition in many schools across the county, according to District 5 commissioner Carly Cooke, who represents Summerfield.
Aside from buying land, the spending plan spreads costs across a dozen projects countywide. They include rebuilding Kiser Middle School, at a cost of $55.5 million, and Brooks Global Studies, at a cost of $22.2 million, according to the plan.
Tillman didn’t respond to a request for an interview. His district includes Northwest middle and high schools and Oak Ridge, Pearce and Stokesdale elementary schools.
The spending plan resulted from a 2019 countywide study that proposed a mix of new construction, renovations and demolition of schools in Oak Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale. The recommendations were aimed at relieving overcrowding and improving security and technology in schools.
All of the elementary, middle and high schools in northwest Guilford County are operating “at or over capacity,” according to a report by Cooperative Strategies, the school district’s consultant.
A spreadsheet posted on GCS’ website lays out the projects and their estimated costs. They include $47.6 million for the replacement and relocation of Northwest Guilford Middle School and $68.5 million for construction of Northwest Area Aviation High School.
Recommended repairs to Stokesdale Elementary total nearly $3.1 million; $2.56 million at Summerfield Elementary; $1.44 million at Oak Ridge Elementary; $793,150 at Northern Guilford High School; $574,717 at Northern Guilford Middle School; and $298,665 at Pearce Elementary, according to the spreadsheet.
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which relocated to downtown Stokesdale last year after the company purchased and renovated the building that had been home to Southern Hardware for decades; it had been vacant since former owner Ted Southern retired and closed the store in December 2017.
Six months after he retired, Southern sold the three-story Southern Hardware building to Moorefield, who subsequently purchased three more buildings from South Rich LLC, a partnership owned by Southern, Mark Richardson and Garfield Apple. After renovating space for his own business, Moorefield got to work on renovating the building now occupied by Pineapple Porch; he also owns the building leased to Gonzalez Contractors, LLC.
Now, Moorefield has purchased two more buildings to the west side of his business and is in the process of obtaining permits to renovate his latest investments.
“We purchased the two buildings from (the Dr. Mervyn King family) and they’re getting their stuff out,” he said, explaining why there has been a dumpster sitting outside the buildings in recent weeks.
The King family owns Countryside Village Retirement Community and had used the two buildings as storage space. At this point, Moorefield said he has had a lot of inquiries from people interested in possibly leasing the buildings, but hasn’t made any commitments. He is hoping to bring in more retail business.
Besides working on renovating the buildings, Moorefield has been in contact with Duke Energy and hopes to further enhance their appearance by eliminating the unsightly electrical wires which extend across U.S. 158.
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A public meeting at Revolution Academy last Thursday, May 13, drew about 35 residents seeking to learn about the proposed land use plan. They asked questions of Town Manager Scott Whitaker, Planning Manager Chris York and several council members, along with representatives of the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC), hired by the town to prepare the plan.
Town staff asked residents to complete a survey expressing their opinions, which will help shape recommendations in the plan. PTRC plans to complete a draft of the document by the end of the year, according to Jesse Day, the council’s regional planning director.
The plan will guide long-term land development and preservation, reflecting priorities in the town’s comprehensive plan. Development recommended by the land use plan will be regulated by the unified development ordinance (UDO), which is under review by the Town Council.
Summerfield resident Cheryl Baisey attended the meeting, saying she wants to understand which tracts of undeveloped land may be targeted for residential and commercial development.
Summerfield has about 2,800 acres of undeveloped land, Day said. Some of it will be filled by residential growth, based upon projections that the town’s population will grow by about 3,000 people to 14,922 by 2035, according to PTRC’s presentation.
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folks to make decisions, because local citizens and our local town councils know their community better than any politician in Raleigh.”
King urged the council to pass a resolution opposing HB 401, then noted that May 13 was the crossover deadline for the general assembly; the crossover deadline is the date by which all bills must have passed either the House or the Senate chamber in order to be eligible for consideration throughout the remainder of the 20212022 legislative session.
But, he noted, “this is where the idea starts. So just because we’ve made it clear during this session that it’s something North Carolina doesn’t want, we’re going to have to continue to keep an eye on it as small towns and ensure nothing like this ever passes in the N.C. General Assembly.
When asked if any towns in the state were in favor of the proposed bill, King answered, “Not in Guilford County, at least.”
Despite some towns having ordinances prohibiting duplexes, King said the proposed bill would mandate towns allow them. Towns without municipal water or sewer could also be required to allow “middle,” or higherdensity housing in residential areas.
At their May meetings, Oak Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale town councils all passed resolutions opposing HB 401 and the proposed parallel Senate bill, SB 349, citing their “onesize-fits-all” approach would undermine local authority over issues of land use.
I heard discussion during the Summerfi eld Town Council’s meeting earlier this month that developer David Couch has increased the acreage he wants to develop as part of his residential and commercial development around Summerfi eld Farms. What’s going on?
The larger number of acres came up during the council’s discussion of a draft agreement requiring Couch to reimburse the town for legal and other expenses it incurs exploring the feasibility of the proposed Summerfield Farms Village.
The agreement covers “approximately 1,030 acres of land,” according to new wording in the proposed deposit and reimbursement agreement. A previous version of the document showed 650 acres, the amount of land in Couch’s initial presentation to the council last September.
In an interview earlier this week, Couch said he actually owns 1,040 acres in Summerfield. He said he wants all of his property listed in the agreement on the chance that he may develop all of his land.
Couch said the 650 acres he originally listed surround Summerfield Farms, the wedding and events venue, market store and cattle farm on Pleasant Ridge Road. The additional property includes about 86 acres rezoned by the town of Summerfield for the proposed Henson Village shopping center on N.C. 150 at Interstate 73, the developer said.
Couch said he plans to discuss the other parcels as he advances his plan for Summerfield Farms Village. The project isn’t a certainty because, as proposed, it’s dependent upon the extension of water and sewer lines from the city of Greensboro to Summerfield.
Couch has not yet submitted a formal development plan to the town of Summerfield.
In recent weeks, Couch said he has hosted two events to share initial ideas and gather feedback from the homeowner association boards of Henson Farms and neighborhoods adjacent to Summerfield Farms. He also invited individual homeowners who abut his property.
Elected officials in Summerfield, Greensboro and the county also attended the presentations, along with law enforcement, fire and North Carolina Department of Transportation officials, according to Couch. He said he plans to seek the input from a wider audience as he fine-tunes his development plan.
Pineapple Porch is on the move
The home décor and gift store is moving from Oak Ridge to Summerfi eld
OAK RIDGE / SUMMERFIELD – Due to foundation problems at its location on N.C. 150 in Oak Ridge’s commercial core district, Pineapple Porch is moving to Hillsdale Village shopping center at the corner of Lake Brandt Road Photo by Kelli Jessup/NWO and N.C. 150 in Summerfield. Pineapple Porch, a home décor and gift store, Tammy Cobb and Deanna (Dee) Privette opened the Oak Ridge store a little over a year has occupied this former house-turned-business on N.C. 150 in Oak Ridge for just over a year. It is moving to Summerfi eld’s Hillsdale Village shopping center and will re-open at the new location ago, just after the pandemic Thursday, June 1. outbreak. Several months later, they opened a second location on U.S. 158 in downtown Stokesdale. variety of home décor and gift items, Although limited by COVID-related have gained a loyal following. restrictions, both stores, which offer a ...continued on p. 26
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Cobb says she regrets leaving her customers and friends in Oak Ridge, but is excited about the challenges and opportunities that come with opening at a new location.
“The house had so much charm and we’re moving into a retail setting,” she said. “I’m doing my best to add a little bit of charm and warmth to our new space.”
By moving farther away from the Stokesdale location, Cobb said she will be able to better differentiate the stores and offer her customers more variety.
Pineapple Porch will open at its new location in Hillsdale Village on Thursday, June 1, and will welcome customers Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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continue operating from his orange hut on wheels.
“If it’s not broken, why fix it?” asked Murray, adding the employee no longer works for him.
David Swift, chief financial officer for Kotis, said the company hasn’t entered into a lease agreement for the vacant storefront, although it has talked to potential tenants.
Based upon its square footage, Summerfield Square is 97.5-percent occupied, according to Swift. That’s the highest occupancy rate since Kotis bought the center in 2015, he said.
The company’s termination of the Jumping Bean’s lease “has been our only little hiccup,” Swift said. “People may not be 100% happy, but we are doing what we think is best for the center and the town.’’
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Demand for more space prompted two Summerfield couples to expand their businesses in town. Pictured here, GreenGo Buggies owners Brian and Nikki Price have relocated from space on Summerfield Road near Pleasant Ridge Road to the former site of Purgason’s Western Wear on Auburn Road at U.S. 220.
The company manufactures lowspeed vehicles powered by batteries. Referred to as “street-legal golf carts,” the vehicles can lawfully travel on public roads with speed limits posted at 35 mph or less.
“We were busting at the seams” in the previous location GreenGo Buggies shared with Sport Auto on Summerfield Road, Brian said.
Nearby on Summerfield Road, Suzanne and Garland Vandergrift, owners of Greensboro Performing Arts (GPA), are the new owners of nearly six acres containing the former Cathedral of Faith Christian Center.
Since buying the property in February, they’re preparing to renovate the new space in an expansion beyond their dance, music and arts studio at the Cardinal Crossing shopping center at Inman and Fleming roads to the former church.
The church property contains two buildings with a gymnasium and an outdoor stage.
After the COVID-19 lockdown forced GPA to switch to virtual classes, the couple now views their larger space as an opportunity to offer more classes for more people as the pandemic wanes.
“Bottom line, the driving force was figuring out how to rebuild the arts community,” Suzanne said. “It is so vital.”
