By Scott Nicholson
The current high school facility is going back up on the
auction block, several years after the commissioners turned down
more than $30 million for the property.
The Watauga County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday declared
the current high school facility on N.C. 105 to be surplus property
and instructed the county attorney to develop a process to complete
a sale by June 2010. The county has compiled a list of 18 developers
who have expressed interest in the property.
The commissioners turned down previous offers on the property
because they wanted to make sure the school could still be used
for instruction until the new facility in Perkinsville is ready.
Construction of the new high school is scheduled to be complete
by August 2010.
The county attorneys are reviewing the legal requirements of offering
the property for sale, which could include either sealed bids
or a negotiated price with a developer, either of which could
also involve an upset-bid process.
In the summer of 2006, the county received three formal offers
on the property, which includes more than 70 acres. The highest
offer was $33 million, but terms such as the cost of renting the
facility temporarily for school use and property-tax breaks were
never explored, leaving the final value uncertain.
The commissioners purchased seven acres in 2005 with the intent
of establishing a second entrance to the high school if the facilities
were renovated. Instead, the commissioners changed course in the
fall of 2006 and put together parcels to build a new high school
after renovation estimates reached two-thirds the cost of a new
facility.
The commissioners are expected to receive legal recommendations
on May 4 and begin the sale process.
Fiery map
A new rural fire district map was adopted, changing boundaries
in the fire districts of Beaver Dam, Shawneehaw, Cove Creek,
Foscoe, Blowing Rock, Stewart Simmons, Deep Gap, Meat Camp,
and Boone Rural Fire Protection service districts. The boundaries
were adjusted to match the six-mile areas for homeowner’s
insurance and align them with the fire-tax districts.
Ordinance Offers
The commissioners also received amendments to an ordinance
governing subdivisions and multi-unit structures as proposed
by the planning board.
Local builder Mike Wilson said he attended many planning meetings
and was concerned about guardrails in the ordinance that meet
minimum safety standards and be required on roads where the
slope has been cut and filled at greater than 10 degrees. Wilson
said the cost of lots would increase and more burden would be
placed on developers.
The ordinance also requires developers to make efforts to protect
existing structures from “visual, noise, stormwater and
other impacts.”
The amendments allow variances to address environmental concerns
if a requirement creates unnecessary hardship or adverse environmental
impact, is not detrimental to public safety and supports the
general objectives of the ordinance.
Planning board chairman Ric Mattar said the current ordinance
paid little attention to safety barriers and guardrails. He
said developers had several alternatives in meeting the standards.
The commissioners tabled action on the ordinance in order to
gather more information.
Steep-slope act
Planning director Joe Furman said a state act on artificial
slopes would require counties to adopt local standards for steep-slope
development. Furman said counties that had landslide-hazard
maps would need standards on moderate slopes, which could affect
44 percent of the county land areas.
Furman said Watauga was one of only three counties that had
landslide maps as conducted by the U.S. Geologic Survey, which
would impart additional restrictions. “It would seem to
be stricter on Watauga County because we have the map,”
Furman said.
Commission chairman Jim Deal said the bill was overly broad
and would unfairly apply to the county. The commissioners agreed
to send a letter to legislators opposing the bill as written.
Market celebrates 35 years
Joe Martin, president of the Watauga County Farmers Market,
said the market was about to launch its 35th year on May 2,
representing a number of counties and states. He said there
would be a number of contests this year. “The local food
movement is getting stronger and stronger,” Martin said.
“It’s really gratifying to see people come out and
support their local farmers.”
He said there older farmers and younger farmers, with improvements
to parking and 120 vendors this year. He said at least four
certified organic farms will be represented, and this year a
vendors’ survey would help with a review of business practices.
Hannah facelift
The commissioners approved a renovation at the county-owned
Hannah Building, which is currently occupied by the Health and
Hunger Coalition. The coalition plans to remove two non-load-bearing
walls and is responsible for securing all permits.
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