Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:10:08 -0500
From: chathammatters
Subject: Troubling times in Pittsboro
The (newly elected) Pittsboro Town Commissioners – have rejected (for now) the application by the Haw River Christian Academy to open a school in downtown Pittsboro.
Here is the video of the proceedings, it is eye-opening, you really need to see this for yourself: http://youtu.be/V9PQ6_eq38g
The second is related, a woman is going around ripping down posters supporting the proposed school – keep in mind that the posters were put up by the over 70 store owners who are actively supporting the new school. Here it is: http://youtu.be/V9PQ6_eq38g
If you don’t have time to watch the video of the town meeting, here is a synopsis:
Mayor Randy Voller (Chair of the Chatham Democrat Party) states that the school did not get final or complete plans to the fire department or to the the planning board, then states that the plan is not in compliance with the downtown sprucing up project (which is voluntary and not final itself).
– Fire Department stands up and says they had final plans and they approved them.
– Planning stands up says they had the same final plans and approved them, and that they even accommodated relevant items from the voluntary project such as it is currently.
Commissioners Pam Baldwin and Beth Turner (both on Voller’s team) – say they object to the site location because of the “traffic issues” (which are addressed in the plan that they clearly did not read).
– The traffic engineer explains their misconceptions and then shoots down their further objections.
Commissioner Bett Wilson Foley (who also ran with Voller as a team) – In a jaw-dropping statement says that she doesn’t want the school there because she wants some sort of retail on the site (really?) – then further is concerned about school traffic vs retail traffic.
– The lack of understanding of basic economics is bad enough – this is a place that has been empty for years, with the exception of a brief usage of the PTA Thrift Shop, if this were viable retail space it would have already been used for retail, this building is an odd size (too large for small retail, too small for large retail).
– The contempt for the the landowner – who finally finds an viable fit for his property – but no, she wants him to have no income from this building, but yet wants him to keep paying property taxes, how arrogant.
– What could possibly prompt this? Does she have a friend or a family member who wants this land for cheap? Is she planning her own “retail store for this location? Where does the arrogance of her statement come from, this contempt for property rights? Is she planning to do a government takeover of this property for some “Greenspace” perhaps? She never says which retail she has in mind, perhaps someone will ask her at the next town meeting who is going into that space since she is so confident that it will happen?
– Finally the traffic engineers explains that school traffic is far less than retail traffic (and is during off-peak hours).
The only good news here is Commissioner JA Farrell – who clearly was supportive of the 70 businesses who publicly support the school, supportive of the landowner who finally has a great fit with this school and this building, supportive of the school itself which provides much needed relief from our public school system while costing those of us who pay taxes nothing.
I would hope they would take all of this into account and change their “Collective” mind, but really, what are the chances of that?
Elections have consequences…
By the way the first two acts these new commissioners made shortly after taking office, were to extend the building moratorium for another two years and to take for themselves un-precidented power in the approval process… go figure..