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<br /> 385 gap each year in the Triangle.They are both committed to this work. It is not lip service about equity as a political guise,
<br /> 386 it is grit and determination,with innovative and nimble thinking. Please don't fall for the red herring trick.The LIDO
<br /> 387 suggests you approve this rezoning. I urge you to see what the county will be getting from it; much needed recreational
<br /> 388 capacity for our kids and families, and a new school that will soften enrollment and budget challenges and will actually
<br /> 389 stand for equity by bringing a fresh model to closing the achievement gap.
<br /> 390
<br /> 391 Gary Rodgers: I am a board member at West Triangle High School and a board member at Research Triangle High
<br /> 392 School. That is the replicating public charter school that West Triangle is being based on. I've been part of the non-profit
<br /> 393 Research Triangle school for a number of years so I know first hand what it means to the students in the region.The one
<br /> 394 thing that Research Triangle has that does not reflect their innovation skills is the facilities.Ten years ago we opened up
<br /> 395 in an old abandoned shopping center that we had to retrofit to put classrooms in.Today we are in a center that has been
<br /> 396 converted into a school.There are things it doesn't have, important things, it doesn't have a gym, doesn't have sports
<br /> 397 fields, it has awkward eating spaces,doesn't have an auditorium for big meetings.We haven't heard enough tonight
<br /> 398 about why this land is important to West Triangle High School and their families.We have the opportunity to build a real
<br /> 399 school from the ground up to impact Orange County, Hillsborough,with a gym,fields, large cafeteria, auditorium, all the
<br /> 400 common amenities that most public traditional schools have. Denying it puts the school in a predicament of making
<br /> 401 significant facility sacrifices to our students who are out there...any activities we are offering. I want you to think about
<br /> 402 that,we have the opportunity to bring four baseball fields or softball fields,tennis courts,two soccer fields, parks, ponds,
<br /> 403 and a school with a gym, a true community center. It needs to be noted that the Orange County taxpayers will not be
<br /> 404 paying for any building through any bonds or local funds.The school will pay for the building through a private loan like a
<br /> 405 mortgage like we have done at Research Triangle High School very successfully.When you consider the state of the
<br /> 406 facilities here in the district and the need to renovate all of them,this is an opportunity to save the district a huge amount
<br /> 407 of money with a new facility and not costing them a penny. So our students who attend there don't need to sacrifice the
<br /> 408 opportunity to play sports or eat in traditional cafeterias.Thank you for considering a very important point that has been
<br /> 409 overlooked tonight and please know that you will hear from our other board members that we will make sure that we are
<br /> 410 great stewards of this space and that we make sure that this is a successful school for the community. Please
<br /> 411 recommend approval of this zoning application.
<br /> 412
<br /> 413 Earl Tye: I'm here tonight to ask for your recommendation for approval of the zoning request that is before you. I believe
<br /> 414 everything in this proposed plan is a much needed and community enhancing asset. I want to speak specifically about
<br /> 415 the ball fields tonight. I had the privilege of serving as a coach and as a member of the HYAA board for about ten years
<br /> 416 in the early 2000's. I learned a lot in that experience and much of what I enjoyed about it then is very much true today.
<br /> 417 HYAA is a long-standing institution, it is community built. I rolled off the board in 2009 and I still see people all over this
<br /> 418 community that I met through our mutual association through HYAA. It is a 100%volunteer run organization. People
<br /> 419 volunteer to do things they enjoy doing and, in this case,they volunteer because they want to serve and mentor kids.
<br /> 420 Through that, these kids learn some valuable life lessons; sportsmanship,teamwork, how to handle winning and losing,
<br /> 421 you can't put a price on those kinds of things. HYAAers are also a valuable asset in this community just because of the
<br /> 422 number of kids it serves year-round, Spring, Summer, Fall, boys and girls, a wide range of ages. I think it is relevant to
<br /> 423 ask the question what would it cost the county or the town to try to provide that kind of recreational experience for that
<br /> 424 number of kids,year in and year out? I certainly don't know the answer, but I can guess that it's a pretty big number.As
<br /> 425 a member of the board 20 years ago, I had conversations from time to time with officials of the town and county
<br /> 426 government,we knew at that point that Collins field days were numbered and that is so true today. I understand that
<br /> 427 there are design engineering plans underway at that site right now. When we had that conversation 20 years ago, it is a
<br /> 428 lot like it is today.We would say to the town and the county,We are not asking you to pay for it, not asking you to build it,
<br /> 429 we are saying that we have got great support in this community from the business community,from parents, and from
<br /> 430 developers and time to time as the opportunity arises for us to secure a long-term location for our fields,we just need
<br /> 431 you to work with us.That's the request here tonight. I won't dismiss some of the concerns that have been raised tonight,
<br /> 432 1 don't necessarily agree with them, but I do believe that wise and reasonable people are coming from a place of good
<br /> 433 faith in addressing these concerns and this could be a win-win for this community.
<br /> 434
<br /> 435 Mary Parker: I have been a resident of Orange County since 1981, 1 was a public-school teacher for 35 years and I have
<br /> 436 seen the importance of athletics for all people. I am an avid tennis player and unfortunately when I want to play tennis, 1
<br /> 437 have to drive all the way to Durham to do so because we can not have the amount of fields that are needed to have
<br /> 438 USTA tennis and that is something that I thoroughly enjoy. I also love to go out to Orange Tennis and see all the young
<br /> 439 people who are taking the sport up.There are not many sports that you can still play and have a good time at my age.
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