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Jeff Davis photo
Moon over Miami, ah,
well, Siler City . . .
The moon pops its
head over the trees along Highway 64 just east of Siler City
as a motorist heads home from work. Due to the low angle of
the moon rising, it looked huge as vehicles headed towards
the Pittsboro area. Of course after it made its way through
the night sky, it was just about bright enough to see by.
School board ready to
vote on budget
By Bob
Wachs
Chatham County’s board of education is slated to vote on a
budget request to send to county commissioners next Monday
night at its regular monthly meeting.
The
proposed locally-funded spending package totals
approximately $23.1 million, up $4.1 million, or more than
25 pe4r cent from last year’s $18.3 million.
Board
of education members held a public hearing on the budget at
a work session last week and heard no public comment pro or
con on the proposed budget. The only change from the
document superintendent Ann Hart first presented was a
request by the board that the school system ask for a second
nurse instead of only one. That proposal would add about
$55,000 in salary and benefits to the budget.
Hart
told board members she thought the requests were
"appropriate for what we’re doing."
Among
the items listed on the current expense expansion portion of
the budget are five new teachers for "at-risk" students
($245,000), two nurses and a social worker ($165,000),
$96,000 for new teacher assistants, and $45,000 each for a
technology technician and an internal auditor.
more- See Thursday, Mar 23
paper:
Vol 86, No. 17 |
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New high school to cost
$44.5 million; public to vote on bond
By Randall
Rigsbee
Chatham
County commissioners unanimously agreed Monday to let voters
decide in November whether or not to approve a $44.5 million bond
to pay for a new high school in northeastern Chatham.
County
commissioners learned recently that the proposed new high school,
which school officials say is needed to accommodate a rapidly
growing number of students, will cost more than originally
planned.
The
increased cost – from $43 million to approximately $55 million -
is due, school officials said, to rising construction costs, which
increase about one percent each month, and not a change in the
size or scope of the building project.
County
commissioners and school officials met last week to discuss how to
meet and pay for the school’s building needs and on Monday, county
commissioners said they had found a solution.
Commissioners decided not to, as had been considered, eliminate
four classrooms from the new Siler City elementary school.
"The big
question," said county commissioners chairman Bunkey Morgan, "was
the new high school."
Commissioners discussed during a Monday afternoon work session a
plan to build the new high school at a lower cost by cutting its
capacity by 200 students, from 1,200 to 1,000. Decreasing the
capacity would reduce the cost from $55 million to $44.5 million,
which is the amount of construction costs commissioners plan to
ask voters to approve on the November ballot.
more- See Thursday, Mar 23
paper:
Vol 86, No. 17
Board OK’s restaurant near
lake
By Randall
Rigsbee
A proposed
200-seat restaurant off Big Woods Road near Jordan Lake, which had
prompted concern from a number of county residents - among them
Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller - during a recent public hearing,
received approval from the Chatham County Board of Commissioners
on Monday.
County
commissioners were divided on the matter, however, approving
William R. Copeland’s request for a conditional use business
district in a 3-2 vote.
Favoring
the proposal were board chairman Bunkey Morgan and commissioners
Tommy Emerson and Carl Outz. Commissioners Patrick Barnes and Mike
Cross cast the dissenting votes.
Approved
was a conditional use B-1 business district with a conditional use
permit for eating and drinking establishments on 5.6 acres at the
intersection of US 64 and Big Woods Road.
Prior to
voting, Cross explained his stance, noting that the property in
question fits its residential zoning. The county’s planning staff
also recommended rejecting the request, Cross noted. He said the
property should remain zoned for residential use.
Emerson,
however, said he "respectfully disagreed" with Cross.
"A nice
restaurant there, I don’t think will be an impediment to anybody,"
said Emerson.
Barnes said
he knows the Copeland family and agreed with Emerson that they
would do "a nice job" in building the restaurant, but he said the
location isn’t appropriate for business use.
more- See Thursday, Mar 23
paper:
Vol 86, No. 17 |
