Oct. 3 - 9, 2014
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Rock gym designated for National Register of Historic Places Alumni of Summerfield High School attend historic marker unveiling, share fond memories
former mayor Mark Brown and town council members Alicia Flowers and Dianne Laughlin were on hand to mark the occasion, along with alumni of Summerfield High School, which closed in 1962.
by KRISTIN KUBLY
Before the plaque was unveiled, Summerfield High School alumni shared memories of the gym and joined together to sing the school song.
(with excerpts from previously published article) SUMMERFIELD – On Sept. 20, a ceremony was held at the rock gym at Summerfield Elementary School to unveil a plaque naming the gym to the National Register of Historic Places. Summerfield Mayor Tim Sessoms,
Built in 1939 to serve Summerfield High School and the community, the gym was constructed from local rock by men working for the Works Progress Administration, a
New Deal agency that employed millions of workers after the Great Depression. The original plan called for the construction of the gym, as well as work at the park
...continued on p. 6
‘Middle income’ housing:
how is it defined, and is more needed in this area? Residents, elected officials, builders, developers and real estate industry professionals share perspectives on northwest-area housing options Survey conducted by ANNETTE JOYCE
NW GUILFORD COUNTY – Several new developments are either underway, or have been proposed for the northwest Guilford County area. Most of these developments will offer homes beginning at or near $400,000. The lack of more modestly priced housing has prompted Oak Ridge Mayor Ray Combs to challenge local developers and builders to work on figuring out how they can offer more “affordable” housing so that teachers, firemen, law enforcement officers and other middle income citizens who want to live in Oak Ridge can afford to do so. “The quiet secret message is this: ‘We want you to serve us but we don’t want you to live amongst us,’” Combs told the developers who attended the June 5 town council meeting. The subject of “affordable” housing has
been broached before, and has elicited cheers from some and fears from others. To gauge the complexities and challenges of this issue, we recently reached out to local builders and developers, Oak Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale town council members, Realtors and people who live and work in the northwest area to get their perspectives. The following is the first in a series of responses we’ve received. ••••• “There is a definitely a need for middle income housing in our market; however, due to the cost of land and the cost of development, it is not financially feasible. The only way to maximize a parcel and maintain a lower price range is to zone it for higher
...continued on p. 24
Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO
The new historic marker on the rock gym at Summerfield Elementary School designates it as a place worthy of preservation.
IN THIS ISSUE Fields of Faith .................... 3 Your Questions .................. 4 Pets & Critters .................... 7 Charlie and me ................ 8 Pet Adoptions ................... 9 Critter trivia...................... 10 High School Sports ......... 12 Business Notes ................ 14 Community Calendar.... 18 Bits & Pieces .................... 20 Celebrations ................... 20 Letters/Opinions ............ 22 Grins & Gripes ................. 23 Crime/Incident Report... 25 Classifieds ....................... 26 Index of Advertisers ....... 31