Chairman Jamie Caudle introduced discussions on land previously set aside to build an urgently needed middle school for Anson County students at the commissioners meeting held December 19.
Lauren Monica | Anson Record
WADESBORO — A new middle school for Anson County students is inching ever closer to breaking ground.
County commissioners were again called upon to approve the land previously donated to the school board be upheld as the future construction site for a middle school at the board meeting held on December 19.
“In the agenda is the deed as prepared by the attorney for the school board, Mr. Flake, he presented that to the clerk about a week and a half ago,” stated County Manager Leonard Sossaman.
Acknowledging the board’s prior vote on the matter, Sossaman continued, “We put it on the agenda even though the board has already approved this. That was a previous board and it has been a while ago, so I thought it would be best to bring it before this new board, especially as we have two new members.”
Sossaman further mentioned that a rendering of the proposed land was available in the agenda for commissioners to approve.
“There are actually two land tracts involved coming out to about 17 acres and some change, so at this time if you want to reiterate to approve this board action it would be time to do so,” advised Sossaman.
Recapping for commissioners and constituents alike, Commissioner Jamie Caudle reminded, “Back in February of 2022, the previous board made a motion to give the Anson County School Board somewhere between 18 and 25 acres to construct a new middle school facility. After the deed work had been done, the land that they are requesting totals 16.46 acres, so we just need to make a motion to approve that tonight. Like our county manager said, we just wanted to update county commissioners on what had been done previously to get us to where we are tonight.”
Heeding the new Chairman’s call, Vice Chairman Robert Mims brought forth a motion to approve, with Commissioner Lawrence Gatewood seconding.
Prior to proceeding with a vote, Commissioner JD Bricken questioned, “When we agreed to transfer that land to the school a couple years ago, I had a question. We had discussed the fact that the property that the middle school is currently on, whenever they occupy the new property with the new building and are done with the old property, you had told us it would relinquish back to the county, whenever they abandoned that property. Is that still your thought?”
Attorney Scott Forbes jumped in to field Bricken’s question from a legal standpoint, answering,” That is correct, if it ever ceases to be used for a school purpose that is when it would come back.”
Forbes further clarified, “They [School Board] would have to offer (the property) back to the county before they could sell or offer the property to someone else.”
For his part, Caudle understood the school board is planning to continue using the existing facility and ball schools.
Forbes later specified the land is to be used by the school board for school related purposes; believing the property would remain under school board control.
With no commissioner’s opposing the motion previously made by Mims, the motion passed unanimously, further cementing progress made in Anson’s long journey to build an urgently needed new middle school for its students.
Reach Lauren Monica at (843) 910-1020 or lmonica@ansonrecord.com
