Round Up: commissioners back two school grant bids, set data center moratorium hearing
Davidson County commissioners voted this week to support grant applications for new high school buildings in both Lexington and Thomasville, and agreed to schedule an Oct. 26 public hearing on a temporary moratorium on data centers, in a meeting that ran more than three hours and included heated public comment.
Lexington High School
The board's longest discussion centered on Lexington City Schools' application to the state's Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund for a new Lexington Senior High School. The application is due Oct. 2.
Lexington City Schools Superintendent Dr. Ron Anthony told commissioners the school, described by speakers as 73 years old and the oldest school building in the county, has water intrusion, aging systems, structural settlement, and accessibility and life-safety deficiencies. He presented three options: limited repairs at $15.5 million, a $58 million renovation, or new construction that would use a county match of about $41 million to unlock roughly $62 million in state funding.
Anthony said the school has the third-highest performance data in Davidson County and is rated a B school, arguing that students are succeeding despite the building. The district says Lexington Senior High earned its first B under the state's school performance grades in the latest results, with a graduation rate of 91.7%. Anthony did not specify which schools the county comparison covers, and the claim could not be independently verified. Outside rankings are less favorable: U.S. News ranks the school 410th among 604 ranked high schools in North Carolina, and the nonprofit GreatSchools gives it a 3 out of 10 rating. Anthony also noted that the school's auditorium serves as a community emergency shelter.
Lexington City Board of Education Chair Angela Mcduffie told commissioners that renovation "band-aids" are no longer responsible. A commissioner who is a former teacher cited leaking ceilings, buckling floors and barriers under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Commissioners spent considerable time on how to pay for the local share. Commissioners discussed a worst-case scenario for a $104 million project, in which the county would need to borrow about $15 million after applying lottery funds, existing capital money and a possible $10 million transfer from dredging funds. They noted that upcoming debt relief from the Oak Grove project could help support that borrowing. One commissioner put the county's requested contribution at $41,255,567.
The county attorney, Adam Jones, cautioned that approving the application "as written" effectively certifies that the county has the required local funding available, which could commit it to the full project cost and roughly $42 million in local money. Project architect Miki Keller said the state's main focus is the match tied to the $62 million grant, about $15.5 million in local funds, and that the firm would reduce scope if costs change. Anthony said he would work with the architect within 48 hours to propose cuts, and he was willing to negotiate on a reduced estimate of about $90 million to $95 million.
Commissioners clarified that the vote authorizes applying for the grant rather than approving construction, and they voted to approve the application.
Thomasville High School
Commissioners then approved Thomasville City Schools' application in about six minutes. Rodney Shotwell said the building scope of the revised proposal is intact but planned athletic upgrades and some renovations were cut. The plan requests $15.5 million in local funds to complete a $77.5 million new school. Shotwell also described severe problems at a closed career-technical building and the need for a $1.2 million infrastructure project.
Commissioners said that if neither district wins a grant, they would revert to existing allocations and revisit renovation funding for Thomasville High and other schools.
Data center moratorium
The board voted 4-2 to schedule an Oct. 26 public hearing on a temporary moratorium on data centers. The vote did not adopt the moratorium itself, Jones stressed. A four-month moratorium was discussed.
Supporters said a pause would give time to study impacts, gather citizen input, and let planning staffer Lee Crook finish a zoning text amendment for data centers. One commissioner said the county has no specific data center regulations and argued a pause would also give state and federal officials a chance to explain policies they have promoted without answering local questions. Another commissioner said a moratorium would allow time to design plans in which large data center investments could fund schools and reduce property taxes for long-term residents and seniors.
Shell said commissioners already have authority to scrutinize applications and worried a moratorium could delay an acceptable project midstream, "handcuffing" future boards. One commissioner initially described the moratorium as sending an anti-business signal before saying the commissioner supported it as a pause.
Planning and Zoning Director Lee Crook said regulatory work can continue during a moratorium and that private land sales to data centers cannot be blocked but would be subject to any adopted regulations. Jones warned that adopting a moratorium and a new ordinance simultaneously would undermine the moratorium's purpose. Jones and Hiller said the county cannot offer targeted tax relief without state legislation, though Cabarrus County uses economic development incentives to fund such programs.
During the discussion, Shell told a member of the audience to "shut up" after a tense exchange, and other officials called for decorum. Shell later apologized.
Public comment
Fourteen speakers addressed the board during a roughly 26-minute public address period. Jackie Taylor said meals in the county's senior nutrition program arrive nutritionally compliant but are altered with extra salt, sugar and butter by a site coordinator. Dana Loomis, who ran in the Republican primary for county commissioner, criticized EMS staffing, alleging three patients from a serious car accident had to share one ambulance, and contrasted that with spending on a Sportsplex.
Several speakers focused on a proposed 1,600-acre industrial rezoning involving Piedmont Natural Gas and Duke Energy. Mary Todd Boone asked that the hearing be a dedicated agenda item in a larger, wheelchair-accessible venue. Special election commissioner candidate Charles "Chuck" Slipetsky, a Democratic candidate for the unexpired term on the board in the Nov. 3 election, argued the county lacks infrastructure, cited a fatal fire response, criticized spending on Flock cameras, and accused commissioners of ignoring residents and lacking a listed code of ethics and conduct.
Parent Danielle Hurley described mold in the 1953 high school and her child's worsening asthma, and contrasted a proposed $65 million sports complex with the need for a new building. The Rev. Arnetta Beverly, a Lexington Senior High alumnus, urged support for the grant.
Other business
Commissioners approved the consent agenda unanimously, accepted a National Disability Employment Awareness Month proclamation from David Hiller, and designated a voting delegate for the NCACC Legislative Goals Conference in Raleigh in November.
The board then went into closed session to discuss potential litigation involving Faris Johnson and two economic development matters. After returning to open session, Jones reported on the discussions, and the notes indicate a settlement of the Johnson matter, to be paid by the county's insurer, was approved. The meeting then adjourned.
