Officials say vote for FTCC bond is vote for countv's future BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE When it comes to the hotly contested presidential race between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama. very few undecided voters remain. However, there are likely many within the community who have yet to consider how they will vote on the very last issue on the Forsyth County ballot: a $62 million bond ref erendum that would be allo cated to Forsyth Technical Community College. The bond would cover the cost of renovation of the Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Administrative and Career Center Building on Miller Street, which would be absorbed by nearby Forsyth Tech. The school would also use bond money for the removal of several buildings on campus that are becoming too oia to oe userui to its booming population, says FTCC President Gary Green. The Career Center, which is also outgrowing its current space, would be moved to another site, which is yet to be determined, as would the administrative offices. "It's a good building struc turally, but .. . it's beginning to show the age," he said of the career center building. "It's in need of renovation even if it's going to continue in its current use." The bond is needed in order for the community col lege to adequately serve its flourishing student popula tion, Green said. "We're at capacity for our main campus ... and we're landlocked," he commented. "As we plan for the longterm growth of our main campus, that's the area that really makes the most for the people who will be coming here." The bond has been criti cized by some in the commu nity who believe, given the dire economic status of the nation, now is not the time to be asking for taxpayer dollars. State Rep. Dale Folwell has been one of the bond's most vocal adversaries. Folwell is calling for Forsyth Tech to have the bond issue removed from the ballot. The added cost to taxpayers - about $20 more a year for jviiivvuv *?iiw v/"iio u $150,000 home - is too much to ask in these lean economic times, he says. But County Commissioner Beaufort Bailey believes that finan cially supporting Forsvth Tech will Green ' p help strengthen the economy. "Forsyth Tech trains peo ple for jobs and things of this nature ... it will boost the economy," he remarked. Passing the bond is the right choice for the the school, said Bailey, who also serves on the FTCC's board. "(Forsyth Tech is) just exploding with students," he stated. "If this bond doesn't pass, we'll be set back five or six years as far as the county's concerned." The current economic sta tus is one of the greatest con tributors to the growth-rrf the school, now home to more than 8,000 students in college credit courses alone, says Green. "We have sort of an Stroke fritm page A1 The reunion was open to all FMC patients who suf fered a stroke between April 2007 and April 2008, more than 1,200 people in all. "It's a room full of sto ries," Chase commented. "You can learn so much from watching people who are making that journey." I hough many of the survivors had never met before, they came tog&her like old friends, Chase said. "The best part was just watching people bonding," sne reiatea. n happened natural ly ... people migrated together because they shared this common thread." Being around others who understand the challenges they face is therapeutic for survivors, according to FMC Stroke Navigator (or Educator) Vanessa Cloud. "They need to know that they aren't in this alone," she said. "There are so many people who have strokes; stroke is the face of you and me." Seeing the patients mak ing their way to recovery was especially rewarding for her. Cloud added. "It's been so good seeing the faces from the last year." she declared. "Seeing them go from hospital gowns to seeing them better... It just gives me a chance to say, 'Wow.'" Two volunteers worked closely with Cloud in the planning of the reunion. Beth Crady and Famdill Holly, both stroke survivors, have been volunteering with the hospital, visiting stroke patients and nurturing their own recoveries all in one fell swoop. Crady, the mother of two teenagers and a former Family Services employee, suffered a stroke 11 months ago. "I can't do the things I used to do; it's very hard," she related. "You have to have patience." Though her motor skills are almost completely intact. Crady still struggles with aphasia, a side effect of stroke that impairs a person's Cloud language skills. "I ran nriHpr stand everything but it's hard for me put the words togeth er and say them the way I want to," she explained. Planning the reunion served as a positive outlet and reminded her of her life before her stroke, Crady said. "It was a lot of fun. I did a lot of things like that when I was working, so I under stood everything, even though I could not help out as much as I wanted to," she related. "I'm glad I can^see people doing so good." For Holly, working with the patients was a chance to uplift people who often feel down as he did after his strokes (he suffered two in a matter of months). "It's been great; I've been able to give patients advice ... and a lot of hope," he remarked. "It gives peo ple hope when I tell them my story. It feels good." c J inverse relationship with the economy," he said, citing lay offs and lack of security among the reasons people choose to attend community colleges. "Anytime you ... have a recession, (citizens) turn to the community college to get the skills they need ... to get back into the work . force." While he concedes that taxpayers must be cautious with their money right now, Green contends that the FTCC Bond is a worthy cause to support. "The investment we are asking taxpayers to make is very small, compared to what Forsyth Technical Community College can pro vide for the community," he said. ? "Forsyth Tech has a great record of being good stewards ... of taxpayer money( I think people see that when they come here and when they interact with the college. I'm very confident that we'll have support at the polls." | City says it will tighten purse strings j * ? CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT The City of Winston-Salem has initiated a hiring freeze and several other measures in an *ffnrt tn rpHnrp vn^n