By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost
A change in the Rowan County Board of Commissioners will bring added support for both a land-use plan and a consolidated school administration building. But both newly elected commissioners, Raymond Coltrain and Carl Ford, think a land-use plan for western Rowan is more do-able than a multimillion-dollar school facility.
On Dec. 1, Coltrain and Ford will replace Arnold Chamberlain and Jim Sides. Chamberlain, the current chairman, is a strong supporter of a land-use plan and a school administration building. Sides opposes the land-use plan and has favored less expensive alternatives for school offices.
Concern over the economy, dropping sales tax revenue and state cutbacks pose a major hurdle for the school administration building with commissioners.
The county has hired S.C. Hondros & Associates of Charlotte to evaluate the former Winn-Dixie building on Jake Alexander Boulevard for conversion to a central administrative office for the Rowan-Salisbury School System.
One option includes renovating the existing 42,600-square-foot structure. A second option would add a 16,000-square-foot addition. School officials favor the larger option.
Estimates range from $6 million to $9 million.
In 2005, the Hondros firm made a presentation to school officials on building a new 48,000-square-foot administrative office building on Old Concord Road at a cost of $3.5 million.
Estimates on conversion of the former grocery store building are more than $5 million.
“We have to work within the framework of money we have coming in,” Chad Mitchell, current vice chairman, said recently. “It doesn’t mean we can’t make a move, but we can’t risk the financial stability of the county by moving too quickly.”
Mitchell agrees with County Manager Gary Page that building new jail space is the county’s top priority.
Mitchell said the county will have to look at options for the central school office project, including buying the former Winn-Dixie building one year and remodeling it another year.
“We need to eventually build a central office, when we’ve got the money,” Ford said, adding that he hopes the school administration will understand if the economy forces a delay.
Coltrain wants the board to make a commitment to providing an administration building. “How and when is definitely affected by the current economic conditions,” he said.
Coltrain said the board can start the process, make a plan and go forward as the economy will allow.
Commissioner Tina Hall, a retired school principal, said the new board needs to decide what its top priorities are and what the the economy will allow.
“We’ll be turning to our manager about the financial situation,” Hall said.
Commissioner Jon Barber, who has been perhaps the strongest supporter of schools on the board, also is taking a cautious view of an administration building.
“With the slowing economy, we need to take a step back and look. … Can we afford to do it right now?” Barber asked.
He said commissioners should have tackled the school administration project as part of the budget process last spring, but Chamberlain didn’t want it to be part of the budget discussions.
Barber said once commissioners receive the study and financing information, and look at the impact of the economy, the board will have to answer one key question: “Can we afford it?”
Land-use plan
Commissioners appear cautiously optimistic that they can fashion a land-use plan for west Rowan from the recently completed study.
The current board dropped it after a coalition of supporters broke apart, opting to support differing versions.
Coltrain said the new board should be able to come up with an acceptable version. “Everybody isn’t going to get everything they want. They need to accept that and move forward,” he said. “We’ve got to bring it to a successful conclusion for the benefit of current and future citizens.”
Ford, who played a major role in drafting the Planning Board version, suggested a cooling-off period to let emotions die down.
“Let it rest for a while,” Ford said.
He favors hashing out a plan from the existing study, adding he wouldn’t spend any more tax dollars on a land-use plan.
Mitchell said he expects a push from the new board members to approve some version of a plan. Mitchell said he is willing to listen.
Hall and Barber, who were part of the Chamberlain coalition to pass a plan, are again committed to going forward.
Barber said timing is critical, and suggests the board should wait until February. He said it could be part of the commissioners’ annual retreat in February, or it could be the topic of a series of special meetings.
Barber and Hall, who are from the west Rowan area, plan to meet and discuss how to best deal with the plan.
Hall said the the current board did the right thing to remove the land-use discussion from the agenda.
She said the new board should revisit it and come up with the best plan.