Local News - August 2002

Residents uninformed on school property

By ALICE SMITH, LTN Staff Writer

August 7, 2002 - Residents of St. James Church Road found out about plans for a new elementary school when they saw trees being pushed down around them.

And they told County Commissioners and County Planning Board members — who were being asked to rezone the property — Monday at a public hearing that they don’t understand why they weren’t informed of the plans.

The planning board and commissioners both voted unanimously to approve the rezoning Monday.

“We didn’t have any idea the school was coming to our community,” said Gary Roseboro, who lives beside the site of the future school.

The school was originally slated to be built on property on Optimist Road. Plans changed when the Lincoln County School System was given the 20 acres of land.

Residents are not against the school — their main concern is a growing traffic problem and the safety of neighbors and children.

Planning Board member Stanley Roseboro told commissioners that the project was not seriously planned out.

“Why didn’t we sit down and plan this thing like we should have?” Roseboro said.

“We’re not here to oppose the school, it’s just a traffic problem.”

In a phone interview Tuesday, Ed Hatley, associate superintendent of schools, said that while there will be additional traffic, it will not be as bad as it would be in other locations.

Hatley also said that when choosing a school site, public hearings are usually not held.

Phyllis Woods told commissioners that she owns two acres of land beside the road that will eventually lead to the school.

Contractors cut down trees on her property, Woods said. She has been offered compensation by the school system for the land cleared, because crews did make a mistake.

“I’m not against the school being there, it’s just the way they handled it,” Woods said.

Several other residents spoke against the rezoning.

After the public hearing, the County Planning Board continued discussion in its regular meeting.

All of those who spoke at the hearing were present for the meeting.

Jerry Geymont, planning board chairman, abstained from voting, citing a conflict of interest. Geymont’s company, Geymont Construction, is responsible for work done on the site.

Stanley Roseboro also abstained, noting that many of his family members are involved.

The two were allowed to speak and voice concerns, but not vote on the rezoning.

Stanley Roseboro told the board that eventually the state will have to come in and make St. James Church Road a four-lane highway.

“You’re going to have a major problem,” Stanley Roseboro said. “The safety of the children is a major concern. Every day you’re going to have to have a police officer (directing traffic).”

Planning Board members noted that they are not happy with the way the process was carried out.

“No planning was done on this project,” Stanley Roseboro said. “It was like somebody got together at night and said, ‘Go for it.’”

Geymont said the planning board was blind-sided by this issue.

“There was a lack of communication between the school board and commissioners,” Geymont said. “The commissioners assumed the school board had handled this and talked to neighbors.

“There was a total lack of communication.”

Planning board members said they were faced strictly with a rezoning issue — the construction of the school not being the issue.

If the proposed school site was already zoned Residential Transitional, it would not have come before the planning board.

“Whether the school gets built there or not, it’s not the planning board’s issue,” Planning Board member John Pagel said. “I’m not happy with the overall process, but I think we have to go ahead and rezone it.”

Commissioners supported the planning board’s recommendation to approve the rezoning.

Commission Chairman Jerry Cochrane said he did not agree with the way plans were carried out.

“I think the process followed was not good,” Cochrane said. “I think there was a gross error.”

Hatley said Tuesday that the school system will be receptive to any comments from residents.

“We hope that if there are problems, then we can work it out with the neighbors.”

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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