Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online on Mondays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

Voted mayor after finishing atop the 2017 Salisbury City Council race, Salisbury Mayor Al Heggins was not among those invited to participate in a committee of local leaders to give input on the school system’s capital needs in 2017.

That group — officially called the Capital Needs Committee — recommended in Nov. 2017 that Rowan-Salisbury Schools develop a one-to-five-year plan to close and/or consolidate six elementary, three middle and two high schools. The committee also recommended redistricting as required.

The group was organized in February 2017.

One year later, the school board received a proposal that made specific recommendations, including tiered plans. Tier one, the most immediate, included items such as closing and demolishing North Rowan High; closing Henderson and moving the alternative schools to property near the Heilig Road bus depot operated by the school system; closing and demolishing Knox Middle School Schools as well as Overton Elementary; and building a new kindergarten through eighth-grade building near Salisbury High.

In light of recent developments, a reader asked whether Salisbury Mayor Al Heggins took part in the Capital Needs Committee and if, not, who from the city of Salisbury attended.

At the time of the committee’s presentation in Nov. 2017 — before more specific recommendations were developed — no member of the Salisbury City Council attended the meetings, according to a Salisbury Post story published Dec. 3, 2017. Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander was invited.

Committee meetings were put on hold in late 2017 until further direction was received from the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education.

Those who attended at least one committee meeting in the run-up to the first presentation included: Nick Adkins, a chamber of commerce board member; Travis Allen, a school board member; Chris Boardman; Brian Brady; Carol Everhart, a teacher; Danny Gabriel, Cleveland mayor; Meredith Honeycutt, RSS food and nutrition assistant; Ellen Howard; Dean Hunter, a school board member; Robin Leslie; Carl Martin; Angie Miller; Superintendent Lynn Moody; Eric Nianouris, RSS maintenance director; Robin Shoe, executive assistant to RSS Assistant Superintendent Anthony Vann; Mark Soeth; Assistant Superintendent Anthony Vann; Stephanie Walker, a Rockwell alderwoman; Preston Wallace; Jason Walser; China Gove Mayor Lee Withers; Kay Wright Norman, a school board member; Tim Pharr; Don Coggins; Jennife Barbee; County Manager Aaron Church; County Commissioner Jim Greene; Chamber of Commerce President Elaine Spalding; Carol Herndon, chief financial officer for Rowan-Salisbury Schools; Andrew Smith, RSS chief strategist; and Kristen Paustian.

But not attending in person did not preclude those invited from participating. Mayor Lee Withers told the Post he attended the first three or four meetings of the committee and was at a a majority of meetings, but that he offered his input via email in cases where he did not attend in person.

Whether digitally or in person, Withers said he felt his voice was appreciated and his concerns were taken seriously.

A total of 44 people were invited to attend.