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053183Minutes Randolph County Board of Commissioners May 31, 1983 The Randolph County Board of Commissioners met for an announced Public Hearing at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 1983 in the Commissioners Meeting Room, Administration Building, 145 Worth Street, Asheboro, North Carolina. The following members were present for the meeting: Chairman Bill Boyd, Richard Pugh, Richard Petty, Darrell Frye, and Floyd Langley. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Bill Boyd, who then gave the invocation. Chairman Boyd announced that:the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Willie M. site in North Asheboro and that the Commissioners welcomed input from all citizens present. Katy Vuncannon, Area Director for Mental Health, presented technical information on the property under consideration. The proposed site consists of five acres, more or less, north of Bailey Street, west of the railroad, and east of SR1723, and is part of the North Asheboro Jr. High School property. This property was declared surplus at the Asheboro Board of Education meeting on May 12. On May 23, the Asheboro Board of Education offered to sell to Randolph County five acres, more or less, at reasonable current market price, provided it would be used for the Willie M. program. They stipulated that two appraisals be made of the property --one by Randolph County and one by the Asheboro Board of Education. Mrs. Vuncannon introduced Larry Austin, architect, who displayed a zoning map and described the areas surrounding the site in question. Mr. Austin then displayed a proposed floor plan which he had drawn up for the group home. The floor plan included approximately 3000 square feet, with bedrooms at either end of the house, one end:.for. girls, one for boys. The house is designed with a security system (tied into the Asheboro Police Department) for all doors and windows; the alarm works for both entry and exit. Chairman Bill Boyd asked if any citizen wished to speak. John Osborne pointed out that the area on the zoning map rated RA -6 (high-density) actually has only one house on it, which is his. He:.,said the map has not been updated; the whole area which the site falls in should be rated industrial. He added that at the Asheboro School Board meeting, after the motion to make the site available to the County, the next motion was to make other parts of their property available to industry. Mr. Osborne felt it was not a good investment to have a residence placed in an industrial section. Charles Swing, a landowner on both sides of the site;(where his hosiery mill is located), and a resident of Spero Road nearby, spoke to say that property owners don't think a Willie M. home next to a school is the right place. He pointed out the inconsistency of the actions of the physical education instructor at Caviness, who had just signed a warrant on two Willie M. children at Caviness, and yet he stood up at the City Board meeting and talked about how nonviolent these children are. Mr. Swing then mentioned the distance from the proposed site to Caviness School, 17 miles every school day the year round. Mr. Swing presented the Commissioners letters from citizens opposing the Willie M. site in North Asheboro. He said their main objection is its being next to a school. Beulah Tote of the Mental Health Association presented a statement in support of the Willie M. program and the proposed site. John Osborne asked how the site would be disposed of if the program were done away with. Bill Boyd said the ruling from Raleigh is that it would be sold at public auction, and the amount it brought would be considered its value; there would be no liability to the County. Minutes Board of Commissioners May 31, 1983 Richard Pugh pointed out that if the County does not provide a site the state will, and the County would then have no input. Ruth Allen spoke, saying that she is not afraid for her son to attend school across from a Willie M. group home. .(Mrs. Allen's son attends North Asheboro Jr. High.) Eleanor Yates stated that she and her husband had offered some property near their farm to Mental Health officials, but the property turned out to be unsuitable. She said that there is no ideal place, but that these children need help and we are to love all children, not just our own. She spoke in favor of the proposed site. Richard Pugh asked Mrs. Vuncannon for.the total cost of the Willie M. program for one year. Mrs. Vuncannon said they had been budgeted $540,000 for two years, which is for the operation of all programs for Willie M., but does not include the building. This budget was based on 39 children. Darrell Frye said he had seen a news segment on TV concerning the North Asheboro site and the four neighbors interviewed were not opposed to it. (None of these four were present.) Rhea Moody, who lives 2 mile from the site, said these neighbors did not understand what the program involves and that she totally opposes this site. John Osborne noted that no more citizens were present because they could not get off work. Richard Pugh asked Mrs. Vuncannon if she had received a call in the past week concerning an offer of land in the Coleridge Township. She replied that the property did not seem to meet the criteria as it was originally described. Mr. Pugh said he felt the Commissioners.should vote on the North Asheboro site one way or the other at this meeting. Floyd Langley made the motion to approve the North Asheboro Jr. High site for a Willie M. group home -and to give the County Manager authority to hire an appraiser for the property. Richard Petty seconded the motion. Chairman Boyd called for discussion. Richard Pugh stated that he had tried to listen to the people involved, whether through his position on the Mental Health Board or on the Board of Commissioners, and.that he had heard the same objections raised at every location. He then raised the possibility of building a group home on County property between the McDowell Complex and the Randolph Rest Home. and asked Mrs. Vuncannon how she would feel about building there. Mrs. Vuncannon said she was under the impression the County wanted to maintain that property, but that she is willing to build anywhere the Commissioners approve. Richard Pugh made a substitute motion that the Commissioners not approve the North Asheboro site, but to try to work out a site on County property, and that the Board make a commitment to pursue building a site between the McDowell Goverment Center and the Randolph Rest Home, subject to the possibility of building there. The motion died for lack of a second. Richard Pugh said he felt the process is to work at it and to listen to the people and that he has voted against every site after hearing the people. Chairman Boyd asked for the vote. Floyd Langley, Darrell Frye, Richard Petty, and Bill Boyd voted in favor. Richard Pugh voted against. On motion of Richard Petty, seconded by Darrell Frye, the Commissioners unanimously voted to meet in Courtroom B for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting on June 6, 1983.