Letters/Opinions

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...continued from p. 8

LETTERS/OPINIONS

began her teaching career near Smithfield and lived for a time in a boarding house owned by Ava’s mother. But it was young local swains enrolled at N.C. State who introduced the future Mrs. Frank Sinatra to this fair region (another Oak Ridge claim to fame).

A nostalgic stroll includes pausing at the brick facade on the corner of the academy’s playing field. Behind it lies the grave of a fondly remembered friend – a three-legged pooch belonging to the late Lanier Donnell.

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Maintaining property values requires local fiscal responsibility

“Dino” thought himself a “soldier dog,” sauntering at will to the academy and falling into step with the cadets marching in dress uniform. e cream-colored mascot strutted to every drumbeat, and howled importantly when Taps was played at ceremonies.

At Dino’s demise, he was afforded a full military funeral and interred with honors in earth familiar to his threelegged self.

The little brick post office in the shadow of the CVS building has been replaced by an impressive larger facility on Linville Road. We have acquired a shopping center, a large town hall, and an impressive park – facilities which brighten our night sky.

Conveniences are ours we once did not have, yet what Oak Ridge has aspired to be, and has become, will always be tied to its simple beginnings. As in the Peter, Paul and Mary song of the ‘60s, we know “the times, they are a-changing ...”

Oak Ridge and Summerfield are two towns in northwest Guilford County that are following two very different financial paths. The tax rate (per $100 of assessed value) is 8 cents in Oak Ridge and 2.75 cents in Summerfield. Oak Ridge’s local property taxes are nearly three times those of Summerfield. Why?

The reason can be found in the accumulation of non-prudent fiscal decisions.

An example of such is the Farmhouse Community Center project in Oak Ridge. At 1,800 square feet, the unoccupied structure was too small to qualify as an historic building, so the purpose was changed to that of a community center. When the consulting, planning and bid processing fees are added to the renovation, driveway, parking, sidewalk and landscaping fees, total cost of this project – including annual operating expenses – will likely exceed $1 million in its first 10 years.

Proponents of this project will argue that a grant from Guilford County will partially offset this cost. However, this grant money could have been used to offset other budgeted expenses like developing Heritage Park (compare how Summerfield is spending its grant money with that of Oak Ridge). The thinking behind the Farmhouse Community Center is an example of a non-prudent fiscal decision.

The two paths that Oak Ridge and Summerfield are on may not seem like that big of a deal right now, but their differences will become more obvious over time. Consider what potential homebuyers will think in the next few years, when the average Oak Ridge portion of your annual property tax bill exceeds $1,000 while Summerfield’s is at $344 (figures based on current tax rate differences)? Which town do you think will be most attractive to prospective buyers?

For those of us who moved away from the places where they grew up because local property taxes reached five-figure ranges, please plan to vote for prudent local government officials. Michael Smith, OAK RIDGE

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