HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_0546Commissioner Johnson asked the typical size of a historical site.
Remsburg said they varied from the smallest being two lots (Thomas Wolfe
house) on up to 800 acres.
Buddy Hemric (undecided): Mentioned there were several unanswered
questions about the proposed project, and he encouraged the commissioners to seek
answers before approving the $45,000 request.
Harry W. Watt (proponent): Mentioned he was a past president of the
Genealogical Society for Iredell County, and he was currently the president of the
Vance House Museum. He encouraged any efforts that could be made to help support
local family history and the fort.
Steve Isaac (opponent): Mentioned tax dollars were shrinking due to
unemployment and business closings, and that non-profit organizations were being
required to fill in more gaps left by cutbacks in government services. He mentioned
that social problems were increasing in the communities and schools, and it wasn't
prudent to fund the request. He said buying more land to protect an area already set
aside and preserved from development was only allowing the Fort Dobbs
representatives "a foot in the door" to seek additional funding in the future. Isaac said
he cared about the communities, the schools, the underprivileged, the physically and
emotionally challenged citizens, and the county's children. He said the United Way,
and its affiliated agencies, were constantly struggling to provide the most basic of
services. Isaac suggested that the county's money and attention be turned to projects
that improved the citizens' quality of life, and helped those needing help, along with
preserving vital services that were now "teetering on bankruptcy."
David Collins (proponent): Mentioned he was a resident of Fort Dobbs Farms,
and he supported the efforts of the Alliance to purchase the property. He encouraged the
commissioners to approve the request.
David Parker (proponent): Mentioned that for 250 years the area around the fort
had experienced no residential development, but now, there was a possibility this might
change. He said the fort had educational value, and the school children didn't have
enough "hands on" local sites that showed how men and women sacrificed their lives
and gambled on their futures in creating Iredell County and the nation. Parker said Fort
Dobbs symbolized all of these things. He said the county could be creative in
approving the request -- it didn't have to write a blank check. Parker said there was one
"shot" to buffer the fort, and the neighbors should consider the buffer as a benefit to
them.
Roy West (proponent): Mentioned he was concerned about the history of the
fort site. He said the fort was an asset, and the county was needed to help send a
message to the state that there was local support for the project.
Elaine Steele (proponent): Mentioned there was only one Fort Dobbs, and it
needed to be made "whole." She said it needed to be strengthened and expanded.
Lislott Harberts (proponent): Mentioned she was for the preservation of the fort,
but there were other projects needing money. She challenged the commissioners to
look into the future, especially due to the land being potentially lost to a residential
development.
O.C. Stonestreet III (proponent): Mentioned there could never be enough
money for all the "good things that could be done." He said the $45,000.00, if used for
the project, would pay dividends in the future. Stonestreet, a former North Carolina
State History teacher, said he felt that if Fort Dobbs were built out, the site would
provide an economic stimulus for the county. He asked if some mechanism could be
put in place stating the county would get the money back, if the project didn't work out.
Stonestreet said the Fort Dobbs request was an opportunity that needed to be accepted.