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
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$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<iina Thp
"" """" ~ ~ Tv 6
step is being taken as the nation's
economic fortunes continue to look
bleak.
City Manager Lee D. Garrity
said last week that the freeze applies
to all vacant positions and any that
may become vacant. Positions at the
police and fire departments are the
oniy exceptions.
A freeze has also been placed on
caDital purchases and leases, with
the only exemptions being public safety
vehicles such as fire engines.
Other cost-cutting measures include:
- A freeze on travel and training. Trips
already scheduled will oe revicwcu iui
approval.
- A five-percent sequestration of discre
tionary operating spending.
_ a rMtririinn on Durchasing
authority limits. All purchases will
require a review by the city manag
er's office.
- An administrative review of
all service contracts.
In a message to all city employ
ees, Garrity said, "City government
budgets are feeling the same strains
Garrily
mai eacn 01 us aic itcmig m uui
personal lives. Our expenses are up
and our revenues are down. A pre
liminary analysis by our Budget office esti
mates that if the current trends continue, we
could end this fiscal year on June 30, 2009,
with a $2.4 million budgetary loss."
IMDOVMBNT
ine Four
,,,V ? READ
Screening
Discussion
Inesday - Oct. 22nd *7:00 PM
Location: Central Library Auditorium
The four living firefighters from Engine Four will be our honored guests:
Raphael 0. Black. Willie J. Carter, Robert L. Grier and John R. Thomas.
The Winston-Salem Fire Department
presents "Engine Four " a documentary
on Winston-Salem's first integrated fire
station. City Council Member and Mayor
Pro Tempore Dr. Vivian H. Burke, Fire Chief
John W. Gist and Deputy Fire Chief John
Lucas will lead a discussion on the history
of the Winston-Salem Fire Department.
L, North Cl
wwiorsythMbrmry.orx
Winshin-Salem
WAKE FOREST
l/NIVIRSITY
Z. Smith P?ynoW? Library
Anesthesiology
CardiothOracic Surgery I
Cardiology
..... ip?w? ' ii 'ii . pil*
Dermatology
Emergency Medicine
Endocrinology
o I
Family Medicine
Gastroenterology
General Surgery
Geriatrics
Hematology/Oncology
Infectious Diseases
Internal Medicine
Nephrology
Neurology
Neurosurgery
Obstetrics and Gynecology i
OPHTHALMOLOGY
Orthopaedics
Otolaryngology
Pathology
Pediatrics
Plastic Surgery
Psychiatry
Pulmonary Medicine
Radiation Oncology
Radiology
Rheumatology
Urology
Vascular Surgery
V CATARACT SURGERY ALLOWED US TO
ENJOY OUR FAVORITE ACTIVITIES AGAIN
JOHN AND VIRGINIA THORNTON LEAD ACTIVE LIVES, but cataracts severely
limited their ability to enjoy favorite hobbies. So they turned to the ophthalmologists
at Wake Forest University Eye Center, part of Wake Forest Baptist. After success
ful surgery, both are now doing the things they love - fine woodworking for John and
reading for Virginia.
Cataract removal is one of the most common operations performed in the U.S. - more
than 3 million people have this procedure every year. It is also one of the safest and
most effective surgeries when performed by an expert eye surgeon.
Drs. Susan Burden, Paul Dickinson, Matthew Giegengack, Timothy Martin, and Keith
Walter, board-certified ophthalmologists, have expertise in diagnosing and treating
cataracts. They will discuss treatment options with you and help you decide which
type of cataract removal and artificial lens replacement option is best for you.
For more information or to make an appointment, call 336-716-4091 or 336-723-1041,
or visit wfubmc.edu/eye. And whatever your insurance, chances are we take it.
, - ?. . ' ? - ( ^ ? -? ' . ?
Two Winston-Salem locations:
Wake Forest University Eye Center, 6th Floor Janeway Tower, Medical Center Blvd.,
Winston-Salem, NC, 336-716-4091
Coliseum Eye Associates of Wake Forest University Eye Center, 631 Coliseum Drive,
Winston-Salem, NC, 336-723-1041
KNOWLEDGE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
John Thornton, Virginia Thornton, Dr. Paul Dickinson *
Since 1993, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been consis
tently ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S.News & World Report
a
Make Forest University Baptist
i* a a ,1 bcti b'ji
Wake Forest University Physicians