MCCURDY

McCurdy believes jail in
downtown area will have huge impact on Taylorsville’s future

Taylorsville resident Kathryn McCurdy called The Taylorsville Times last week and shared her concerns about the impact of locating the proposed new Alexander County Jail in downtown Taylorsville.
She visited our office and provided copies of a letter emailed to county manager Rick French; another letter which was emailed to each county commissioner; and a summation entitled “Small Town - Big Jail” giving a five-point list of what she believes the citizens of Taylorsville and Alexander County are entitled to and should demand before the jail proposal is finalized.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Subject: Voices Silenced by Commissioners

Dear County Commissioners,
I understand from the mayor that as recently as last night, the County Commissioners have stated that they are UNWILLING to allow for any further public discussion regarding the location of the new jail. According to commissioners, the public has been given two opportunities to voice their opinions and that is all the commissioners are willing to offer and/or feel should be needed. This attitude is either short-sighted or the result of questionable motives. Why must the discussions be limited to two meetings? Who made up that rule? Who stands to benefit from shutting down discussions?

As far as I am concerned the two public meetings that have been offered were only appropriate for gathering information and asking questions of the Jail Committee...how can one voice an informed opinion and/or ask relevant questions when no formal recommendation has been offered? Have we seen an artist drawing of the proposed downtown jail (hardly! the number of beds as yet to be determined!)...has the public truly been made aware of the impact a downtown jail will have? (hardly! no impact study has ever been done nor has the town citizenry been represented on the Jail Committee).

This HUGE decision has been kept VERY LOW KEY...and one can only wonder why.

In my opinion, the public should be given a minimum of two opportunities to ask questions (information gathering phase) and two opportunities to voice their opinions and ask clarify questions ONCE THEY HAVE RECEIVED ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION...at this present time we do not have enough information to voice informed concerns. NO ONE has even seen what the structure will look like...how can we voice our opinion at this point?

Decisions of this magnitude are NOT a one step process...first the public must be allowed to ask questions and/or get involved...then ONCE a FINAL RECOMMENDATION is ready it needs to be published (via ADEQUATE channels) and then the public is invited to respond to the recommendation...anything less is just old fashioned "rail roading"! Why do only the commissioners have the power to say when the public's time to provide input has been adequate?
Don't the commissioners wonder why more people (especially the tax payers of Taylorsville who have the MOST TO LOSE!!!) have not commented? I can tell you why...the people have not been appropriately and adequately informed at this point. They don't know what is, for all intents and purposes, a decision that is already upon them...why don't they know? Why hasn't there been an artist rendering of the proposed downtown jail on the front page of the Taylorsville Times, along with the recommendation, a list of pros and cons, and an open invitation to come respond to the recommendation? Why hasn't there been a BIG headline that says, "What will the new jail do to our downtown?" I have talked to several people who live in the city limits and they didn't even know this was even happening to their town...why? Because NO ONE has bothered making communicating this decision, or its impact, a priority.

If you want the respect and trust of your constituents, respect them enough to involve them at the appropriate time and WITH APPROPRIATE information from which to voice their concerns.
I therefore ask you to take the following actions as responsible governing representatives:

1. Develop a multi-channel communication plan that clearly outlines the final recommendation of the Jail Committee. I did not fully realize what was happening until I read this past week's Taylorsville Times. And it was not until I read the article closely (because the title was "soft") that I realized that for all intents and purposes the powers that be had made their decision and were now moving to push it past the publicly before they can figure out what's happening.

2. Inform the public as to whom the members of the Jail Committee are...the public can draw its own conclusion regarding the fair and unbiased positions these members are likely to have.

3. Publicize an ad hoc open meeting once drawings and recommendations are published. Listen for input/concerns/questions. Communicate a real desire to make a well considered decision. After that, then you can more confidently cast your vote regarding the future of downtown Taylorsville...which is a high trust and high honor the people of this town have bestowed on you.

Thank you for your careful consideration of this letter.
Kathryn McCurdy
250 Princeton Forest Drive
Taylorsville, NC 28681

Letter to County Manger
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Dear Mr. French,

I meant to copy you on the letter I sent to the county Commissioners. I know that you want to be informed regarding this subject. I hope you can see from the letter to the commissioners that I believe that a decision to build an expanded downtown jail will irrevocably alter the future of the town of Taylorsville. I moved back here a few years ago and built (what I intended to be) the home I would live in the rest of my life. I am only a mile from downtown. My family goes back many, many years in Alexander County and in Taylorsville.

My heart is very deeply grieved to see the small, quaint town of Taylorsville taking its final breath. I feel I must do what I can to try to preserve something that has been well-loved by so many for so long. With the building of an expanded downtown jail will come the end of our rich, small town heritage...we will say goodbye to something indefinable that has helped shape our collective identity. It’s been something real good...real important. And the saddest part of all is that no one will know it until it is forever too late.

I have heard many, many stories from people whose personal histories and fond times were shaped by experiences involving that short strip of Main Street. Why some folks even met their future spouses while cruising those few short blocks. I look at old pictures of Taylorsville and see how much personality and life it had...soon we will look at pictures of our current downtown and realize we have paid the highest price to provide a place for the very ones that contribute nothing good to our town or county. Yet we sacrificed our town for them.

I supposed that the “powers that be” realize that with the expanded downtown jail there will be, in essence, no more Main Street in a town called Taylorsville. Main Street can never grow, businesses will leave, and Main Street will be utilized only as a way in to and out of the Courthouse and Jail. Parking will be for the courthouse and jail. No one will need to come to downtown unless it is court day or they are there to visit a prisoner. And the Chamber of Commerce can never offer prospective residents a downtown nor a hospital -- only a maximum security prison and a sprawling downtown jail. Not much of a draw for most people I figure. Not much of a way to build a commercial tax base...the property owners will have to take on more and more of the cost of government. I guess from what I am hearing most folks, certainly the “powers that be” think that will be fine. These are things thankfully I cannot understand. Things I would never do to people I value.

That no one else is grieving the death of our town is the most painful part of all.

Regards,
Kathryn McCurdy

Small Town - Big Jail

Below is a list of what I believe the citizens of Taylorsville and Alexander County are entitled to and should demand before the votes cast by five individuals determines the fate of downtown Taylorsville.

1) Conduct an Impact Study for the Town of Taylorsville
Citizens of Taylorsville and Alexander County should be provided statistical facts and other quantifiable data regarding the impact of constructing a 50,000 square foot, 150-bed expanded jail in downtown Taylorsville. Facts should be gathered, published, and publicly discussed. The impact study should include the following:
Impact to municipal tax base

• How many downtown businesses currently contribute to the town’s tax revenue? What was the tax revenue that downtown businesses contributed to the overall tax revenue for Taylorsville in 06, 07, and 08?

• What is the impact to the city property tax payers as Taylorsville’s business tax revenue continues to dramatically decrease?

• How much of the tax burden has already (in dollars) been shifted from reduced business tax revenue to the city property taxpayers?
• What are the projected tax revenues needed to fund the municipal government over the next three to five years? What is the projected financial impact of shifting this tax burden to city property tax payers?

• Taylorsville’s Main Street is only a half mile long. When the expanded jail is constructed and adequate parking for it is provided, what percentage of Main Street will be available to locate future tax-generating commercial businesses?

• What is the current and future impact of using this prime location (the only Main Street Taylorsville has or will ever have) for non-taxable use vs. commercial development?

Impact of parking and traffic on current and future businesses

• How will current downtown businesses be impacted by increased traffic and the closing of two city streets?

• Have current downtown businesses been contacted regarding how lack of parking and traffic congestion will negatively impact their business?

Impact to city property values

• How will the lost of available property for future commercial development impact the overall property value of city residents?

• How will building a 50,000 square foot, multi-stored, concrete facility covering multiple city blocks forever negate the option for current and future generations to have a beautiful, quaint small town that attracts people and the associated revenues?
Impact of loss of current and future business on the ability of Alexander Co. to support a local hospital

• When there is no longer a downtown business area of Taylorsville AND NO LOCAL HOSPITAL, how will this impact Taylorsville’s ability to attract new residents? How will the inability to grow impact current taxpayers and property values?

• How will potential new city residents respond to having neither a downtown area nor a hospital?

• A feasibility study (regarding location) may have been conducted but an Impact Study has NOT conducted nor its results provided for the public.

2) Have Fair Representation on the Jail Committee
Currently there is not a fair and balanced representation of individuals serving on the Jail Committee. The Jail Committee will ultimately be the group who will make the recommendation of the location of the expanded or new jail. The following individuals serve on the committee:
• Seth Chapman (Clerk of Court)
• Hayden Bentley (Sheriff of Alexander Co.)
• Kim Taylor (judge)
• Robert Campbell (Alex. Co. County Attorney)
• Dale Graham (judge)
• William Hammer (County Commission)
• Rick French (County Manager)
• Darrell Roberson (County Commission and Jail Committee Chair)
• The late Bob Phillips (Town Councilman)

It is fairly easy to see that the majority of individuals on the committee are not in a position to offer an unbiased recommendation. Most will be biased towards a downtown location either for convenience and/or other advantages specific to them (not wanting to transport prisoners to court for example). The one person who could have represented the interest of the citizens of the Town of Taylorsville, Bob Phillips, passed away on April 2, 2008 and his replacement, Jack Lerner, has not yet participated in meetings. The lack of balanced representation on this committee is a significant oversight.

3) Publish the architectural drawings of the expanded downtown jail

• Citizens have the right to see drawings of the expanded jail and how an expanded downtown jail will impact the aesthetics of the town. These drawings should be easily accessible to the residents and should (at a minimum) be published in the local newspaper, be available in the lobby area of the Chamber of Commerce, and in the entry of the courthouse.

4) Be provided a “Comp Study” of how an expanded downtown jail will impact a town the size of Taylorsville.

Yes, there are advantages to having the courthouse and jail in the same location. Yes, there are many cities that have the courthouse and jail in the same location. But how many towns the size of Taylorsville do this? Our Main Street is only a few blocks long. Our downtown does NOT have the same ability as other cities/towns to absorb the negative impact of increased traffic, impact on business parking, and the loss of potential commercial real estate for future tax-generating businesses. Our downtown is extremely small and offers little enough options for future growth. Therefore, what is right for larger cities and towns is not right for a Main Street as small as Taylorsville’s.

5) More time is needed for citizens of Town of Taylorsville to discuss, respond and provide input once they have received adequate information about the downtown jail expansion will impact them and the future growth of the town.
Citizens do NOT know how the need for increased jail space will grow in the next five to 15 years. Even the current feasibility study stated that the current downtown expansion plans will only meet projected needs until 2023. Other municipal research shows that expansion needs happen every 10 to 15 years.

Research has shown that it is critical to build a jail where there is adequate room for expansion. As stated by Jack Hemphill, Jail Project Architect, in the Commissioner’s meeting minutes of May 19, 2008, vertical expansion of a facility is very expensive and vertical expansion would be the only option for a downtown jail. According to Mr. Hemphill, a future expansion would be needed if the downtown site is chosen. Vertical expansion in the next 10 to 15 years would only exacerbate the issues already elaborate in items 1 – 4 in this document. The trend is NOT to build jails in downtown areas.

Two opportunities for public discussion on this matter have NOT been sufficient given the lack of facts provided to the public and the lack of town representation on the Jail Committee. Citizens should be given adequate time to assimilate information, participate in town hall meetings, and have a voice in a decision which will impact their hometown FOREVER.

Submitted by Kathryn McCurdy