SATURDAY
July 9,2011
Roxboro,
North Carolina
www.personcountylife.com
75 Cents
BAA-AAA!
Dorper sheep keep
solar park on 501
groomed well. B1
WHODUNIT?
RCA students learn
forensic techniques
atCSICamp. B2
HAVING FUN:
Every day exciting
for new Helena
UMCpastor. B4
ON THE LIST:
Four newpersom
are named to Person
County’s Most
Wanted List. A3
A GOOD DAY:
Grey Pentecost
details trip to North
Carolina Veterans
Park in Fayetteville.
A2
-]i
DEATHS
i[-
John Frank Dillon, 82
Currie
Frank Edward Gray, 74
ProspectHill
Barry Dale Hatchett, 39
Roxboro
Trih Perry, 87
Roxboro
Earl Drewery Stewart, 75
Goldsboro
See page All
-ICMiaE-
AGENDA
A3
CLASSIFIED
B8-9
COMMENTARY
AS
COURT
B7
DO YOU KNOW
A2
EDUCATION
B2
EAITH & WORSHIP
B4-5
GREY MATTERS
A2
LEGAL NOTICES
B9
LIEESTYLE
B3
LIVING IN PERSON
B1
LOOKING BACK
A2
MOVIES
A2
OBITUARIES
All
OPINION
A4
REALTY TRANSEERS
B7
SPORTS
A6-7
TV LISTINGS
B6
Our
129th year
Numher 55
Two sections
22 pages
Copyright
2011
The Courier-Times Inc.
I rights reserved
Serving all of Person County since 1881
Couricr-®mejr
Newell announces candidacy for mayoralpost
Four-term councilwoman made deeision after diseussing with eurrent Mayor Sam Speneer
BY PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
COURIER-TIMES STATE WRITER
pboQtwright@roxboto-couriec.com
Merilyn Newell, who has
served four terms on the Roxboro
City Council and currently serves
as mayor pro-tem, this week filed
to run for mayor in the October
municipal election.
In a written statement, Newell
said, “After careful consicieration
and conference with Mayor Sam
Spencer concerning his current
intentions, I have filed the neces
sary documents with the board
of elections to seek election to
the position of mayor.”
Spencer, a long-time member
of city council who is currently
serving as mayor of Roxboro,
told The Courier-Times he did not
wish to comment, at this time, on
whether he would seek another
term as mayor, or a position on
council, this fall.
Newell continued, “The City
of Roxboro continues to feel the
effects of the recent economic
downturn and we all are working
to find new ways to do more with
less...less tax revenue because of
valuations and industry closings,
fewer large water customers and-
See ElECTIONS, Page 9
Merilyn Newell
RCS adding 70
students in
upcommgyear
BY GREY PENTECOST
COURIER-TIMES STATE WRITER
greypentecos@roxboro-couiier.com
The Roxboro Community
School (RCS) Board of Direc
tors approved an enrollment
increase of up to 70 students
for the school in the upcoming
year Thursday, in accordance
with new charter school guide
lines outlined in the recently
passed Senate Bill 8.
RCS Principal Walter Finni-
gan deemed the passing of the
bill “very exciting for charter
schools across the state.”
According to the legislation,
charter schools in the state
would be allowed a 20 percent
enrollment growth each year.
In previous years, Finnigan
noted at Thursday’s specially
called meeting, the school had
to apply each year to increase
its enrollment.
RCS currently has 585 stu
dents and a 20 percent increase
would bring the maximum to
698. Finnigan said the school
couldn’t handle that many
students, and proposed an in
crease of 70, which would bring
enrollment to 655 students.
This would mean an increase
of approximately 10 students
per grade, but Finnigan noted
that the school would not have
to hire any additional teachers.
Other staff members, however,
could be needed, such as an ad
ditional custodian and dining
hall staff member. The major
expense, he said, would be in
computers, which Finnigan es
timated at $35,000. The school
would also need to acquire ap
proximately $2,000 worth of
lockers.
Finnigan also mentioned
during the meeting that the
school had applied for a fed
eral REAP (Rural Energy for
America Program) Grant,
which could be awarded in
the amount of anywhere from
$5,000 to $66,000. Finnigan said
he was confident the school
would receive the funding,
but did not know how much it
might get.
Some board members ex
pressed concern that the
“small, inviting and nurtur
ing” aspect of the school, as
stated in its mission, would be
compromised by such an en
rollment increase.
Finnigan commented that
he did not think that the mis
sion, goals, standards or teach
ing styles the school currently
holds would “get lost” with an
increase in enrollment.
Commissioners approve
subdivision, road varianee
BY PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
COURIER-TIMES STAFF WRITER
pbootwrigb@roxboto-couriet.com
In a public hearing Tuesday
night, county commissioners
voted 5-0 for approval of a sub
division on Pinesborough Es
tate Road at Hyco Lake and 4-1
for approval of a variance for
road improvements that would
bring a portion of Pinesbor
ough Estate Road up to North
Carolina Department of Trans
portation (DOT) standards.
Commissioner Sam Ken-
nington cast the one “no” vote
for the road variation, say
ing he believed there were too
many questions from the pub
lic regarding the road improve
ments.
COMMISSIONERS, >2
GREY PENTECOST I COURIER-TIMES
Special hanck representing Person County
Four Personians were chosen to have their hand castings included on a community column (forefront)
in the new North Carolina Veterans Park for their support of veterans. Those selected for the honor
were Conrad Kimbrough, Jo Hancock, Gwendolyn Harris and Sonny Duncan.
SIDEWALK CHAT ON TAP FOR COUNCIL
BY PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
COURIER-TIMES STAFF WRITER
pboatwrigbt@roxboto-courier.com
Roxboro City Council will face
a light agenda when it meets in
regular session next week.
Public Services Director Andy
Oakley will present contracts
for the construction and admin
istration of work to be done on
a North Main Street sidewalk
project. Oakley will recommend
awarding the engineering con
tract to Alley Williams Carmen
and King, Inc. McQueen Con
struction is the company recom
mended to do the work on the
sidewalk project. That, however,
must be approved by the state De
partment of Transportation.
The bid submitted by Mc
Queen totals $225,143. The proj
ect is funded through a Conges
tion Mitigation and Air Quality
Improvement (CMAQ) grant.
Also during Tuesday’s meet
ing, Interim City Manager Tom
my Warren will report to coun
cil on a request by MCNC Fiber
Optics to obtain rights of way to
See COUNCIL, Page 9
Incorporation of Rougemont would
mean slight increase in taxes
BY PHYLISS BOATWRIGHT
COURIER-TIMES STAFF WRITER
pboatwrigbt@roxboto-courier.com
The areas highlighted in blue on this map would be included in the
incorporation of Rougemont if approved by voters this year.
Should Rougemont become
an incorporated town, residents
would pay a bit more in taxes, but
would have more control over all
the county taxes they pay.
That was one of the main mes
sages delivered by the incorpo
ration steering committee at an
informational meeting Thursday
night.
About 70 people attended the
meeting, many of whom stated
that they were afraid incorpora
tion would lead to a higher tax
bill and few benefits. Others cited
the threat of added bureaucracy
“We’ve got it good out here,”
one resident said, “compared to
Durham and Chapel Hill.”
House Bill 292 was ratified by
the state Legislature last month,
giving the citizens of the Durham
County portion of Rougemont
the opportunity to incorporate,
if a majority of registered voters
approve a referendum that will
be held on Nov. 8, in conjunction
with the City of Durham’s mu
nicipal elections.
Should the November refer
endum pass, the incorporation
will be along the U.S. 501 cor
ridor, extending out along Red
Mountain Road and Bacon Road.
A map of the areas included in
the proposed incorporation was
available Thursday night, and
citizens had the chance to view
it, along with other information
See ROUGEMONT, Page 9