Minutes - 20090526 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Julie Richardson spoke in support of the arts wing at Carrboro High School. She has three children in the CHCCS and she urged the County Commissioners to fully fund the schools in the manner that they have been in the past. She said that an arts wing is not a luxury but a necessity and a core facility of a standard high school. She said that the CHCCS Board voted to move this item to the funded CIP and that this will qualify for stimulus money. She presented a petition with almost 500 names that were in support of the arts wing at Carrboro High School. Jennifer Whitehead is a parent of a child that goes to the Community School for People Under 6. She said that this school is amazing and her son interacts with lower to middle-income kids each day, but they know all the parents, teachers, etc., and he is learning to read and spell at the age of three. She said that this school is asking for$150,000 to renovate the new site they are being asked to move to and to extend their lease until 2010 so that they can renovate their new location. Michael Barrow spoke in support of the arts wing at Carrboro High School. He said that theater in high school changed his life in the 80's when he almost dropped out of school. He said that he has worked in theater all of this life as a professional since then in New York. He said that five out of his 22 classmates in the technical theater class from Chapel Hill High School made it to Broadway. He said that he eventually moved back here after 9/11. His children are districted to go to Carrboro High School. He spoke about how theater is for the community. Vicky Berry spoke on behalf of her family and her property taxes. She said that she received a letter stating that their taxes would be raised 40%. She said that this is an astronomical increase and it is a burden. Amy Weiss said that she also moved here from New York after 9/11. She said that she and her husband have been looking for a place to raise their two children that has a good education and good libraries. Those are the main criteria. She said that one of the first places they visited was the Carrboro Library. She said that her kids use the library every week and weekend. They take advantage of many activities at the library. She asked the County Commissioners to save Carrboro Library. Mary Anne Gucciardi is a CHCCS parent. She said that this is a great time for capital projects because the interest rates are so low. She asked the County Commissioners to look at all of the capital projects with an open mind. She asked the County Commissioners to keep the funding for schools at 48.4%. Daphne Morrell spoke in support of the Carrboro Library staying open. She is concerned about the library collection. She has worked as a volunteer at the library and her family has been going there since it opened 14 years ago. She said that this is a great resource for the community. If this library closed, the closest library would be across town to Chapel Hill or in Hillsborough. Either way is a 20-minute drive. Krysia Lynes said that Orange County is made up of families and they use the schools and parks and the services of the county. She said that people think their taxes are going up because of the reassessment and that is not correct. She said that the County Commissioners should consider making sensible decisions and not decimate the services that everyone relies on. Carol Barrow asked how a school could be built without an auditorium. She said that not all students are athletes or academically gifted. She said that scholarships also go to arts students. Julian Lombardi said that Carrboro High School does not meet minimum State guidelines for new construction. He said that the originally planned but never built arts classrooms and auditorium are parts of what is considered a core facility for any high school. He said that Carrboro High School can be rightfully considered an incomplete high school building project. He said that the federal stimulus package provides $5.5 million in interest free