As Albemarle High struggles, mayor calls for consolidation ...

Jul 23, 2009
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Looks like its about time to consolidate.
Whats the problem with Albermarle?
Im sure stanley co has more money and less unemployment than Graham county. Albermarle has more students than Robbinsville by 50 and thats not counting Stanley's EC kids. I think less schools would help some.
 
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Dogs9

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I agree with Buddy about they should have built the two new high schools instead of building new middle schools. Now you have Albemarle which is probably the nicest facility operating with plenty of room and North Stanly about 3 miles away and West Stanly less than 10 miles away both using mobile classrooms because they are out of room. Common sense would tell you that you need to redistrict but it will never happen with this school board especially as long as a certain member stays on the board and anyone who lives here knows who he is.
 

Doppleganger#

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I have No tiedowns to Albemarle. My ? is. What are the chances of all the North Stanly students being moved to Albemarle High School. And they can still call it Albemarle High School. They have the nicest facilities and they can still be called the bulldogs, same school color blue and white. If not, i will the Albemarle Bulldogs, and i will miss North Stanly, South Stanly, and West Stanly. And for South and West Stanly what would they call the school? Could it be Southwest Stanly High School?
 

btango

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If they ever go to two schools it will be West Stanly getting some of their district back. The other three would combine.

I do not see one or three high schools. I think it is two or the current four. I am afraid if they go to three, one school would get left behind and think that would be South. North would be upset because they are the only school closing.

This is an idea I read on a Facebook post about a week ago. Expand AHS, give an encompassing name (ex: Stanly Central), new mascot, new colors, and bring in a principal from a larger school that has went through the process of consolidation.

Just my take on it.
 
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Wow71

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which school is equipped to handle the transfer north or Albemarle?
 

Wow71

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Just don’t have anything other than a football field so that is an issue. N Stanley has full facilities for all sports. That would have to be considered.
 

Dogs9

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Albemarle has never had a baseball field on campus. They have always used until the early 70's Wiscassett Park and then used Don Montgomery Park which is a city field.This field is a coaches dream because they don't have to worry about keeping it mowed or lined off, All they do is show up and use it. It is less than 2 miles from the school but they sometimes practice at the school.
 
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I agree with Buddy about they should have built the two new high schools instead of building new middle schools. Now you have Albemarle which is probably the nicest facility operating with plenty of room and North Stanly about 3 miles away and West Stanly less than 10 miles away both using mobile classrooms because they are out of room. Common sense would tell you that you need to redistrict but it will never happen with this school board especially as long as a certain member stays on the board and anyone who lives here knows who he is.
Something similar happened in Sampson County. We currently have two schools (Lakewood High and Hobbton High) that are more than forty years old. What did Sampson County Schools do? They built a new Union High and Midway High instead of consolidating schools. There was a push back in the 80's and early 90's to consolidate Hobbton with Midway, and Lakewood with Union, and build two new high schools, but there was fierce opposition to it from citizens who cried about the loss of tradition, and some school board members at the time saying that the schools would be too big (1000 students and 1300 students, respectively). Needless to say, consolidation never happened, and they are currently spending hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for upkeep of the much older schools.
 
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Wow71

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Albemarle has never had a baseball field on campus. They have always used until the early 70's Wiscassett Park and then used Don Montgomery Park which is a city field.This field is a coaches dream because they don't have to worry about keeping it mowed or lined off, All they do is show up and use it. It is less than 2 miles from the school but they sometimes practice at the school.
Thomasville High is in the same situation. Play football, softball and baseball off campus. But they have outstanding fields that they play on.
 
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PrepFanNC

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Thomasville High is in the same situation. Play football, softball and baseball off campus. But they have outstanding fields that they play on.

Football and baseball are top notch! I don’t know that I’ve ever known where they play softball. A local park?

The soccer field/track on campus is kind of nice. The grandstands are way off center, but I guess that works pretty well for track, since they’re all down at the finish line. Weird for soccer though.
 

btango

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Just don’t have anything other than a football field so that is an issue. N Stanley has full facilities for all sports. That would have to be considered.

Not even in the criteria due to North cannot expand. Building size / land space they are maxed out. Albemarle could add on to the campus but without that could add the classrooms, gym, and expand the cafeteria to take it from a 750 maximum capacity to 1,300. Would use North’s baseball, softball, and tennis facilities.
 

bulldog nation2014

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Not even in the criteria due to North cannot expand. Building size / land space they are maxed out. Albemarle could add on to the campus but without that could add the classrooms, gym, and expand the cafeteria to take it from a 750 maximum capacity to 1,300. Would use North’s baseball, softball, and tennis facilities.
I think this is ridiculous this is back up again. Everybody knows they are are not consolidating Albemarle. Albemarle has land behind it that it could easily build a baseball and softball field. In fact they were going to move forward on it the year that the previous admin said plan a and plan b so the former alumni etc who were going to do it backed away due to those plans and admin
 

ocdavis31

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Football and baseball are top notch! I don’t know that I’ve ever known where they play softball. A local park?

The soccer field/track on campus is kind of nice. The grandstands are way off center, but I guess that works pretty well for track, since they’re all down at the finish line. Weird for soccer though.
In Thomasville, softball is played at Myers Park, a facility owned by the city.
Prior to 1983, the schools playing on city fields was not a problem. But, especially after the large annexations in 2001, it has become more difficult to justify all of the taxpayers footing the bill for facilities for only roughly half the citizens. The schools can’t afford to pay what it should cost and currently pay very little to the city for use. It’s an issue that will have to be addressed soon. The visitors’ side at Cushwa Stadium is deteriorating and can’t be repaired for any reasonable cost. The fix is several hundred thousand dollars. I don’t see the city footing that bill without substantial increase in usage fees for the city schools.
 

btango

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I think this is ridiculous this is back up again. Everybody knows they are are not consolidating Albemarle. Albemarle has land behind it that it could easily build a baseball and softball field. In fact they were going to move forward on it the year that the previous admin said plan a and plan b so the former alumni etc who were going to do it backed away due to those plans and admin

Agreed, consolidation is not even in the minds of the school board any time in the near future. I answered the question of the poster.

Where is the land they could build a softball and baseball field?
 
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PrepFanNC

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In consolidation, I think you’d have to take into consideration the “core spaces” within whatever school they’d choose to use.

If a school has a gym, library and cafeteria that was built for 800 kids, you can’t very well approve a consolidation that will put 1300 kids in the building without adding to, or replacing those areas.
 
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btango

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As bulldog nation wrote it is not in the foreseeable future. If it happens one day additions would be required as it is unlikely a new school would be built.
 

bulldog nation2014

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Agreed, consolidation is not even in the minds of the school board any time in the near future. I answered the question of the poster.

Where is the land they could build a softball and baseball field?
Sorry I have been out of town. They have property available behind the school about 5 acres
 

bulldog nation2014

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All I know or “expect” is that Albemarle is gonna be ready to play football next month....
Our numbers so far have been pleasantly up as compared to previous seasons and you can tell these boys have been hitting the weight room. New QB this year as well that will hurt people stacking the box. Not sure where they will land but could definitely make some
Noise. Looking forward to that first game against thomasville.
 

btango

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Sorry I have been out of town. They have property available behind the school about 5 acres

All good. Hopefully relaxation time.

This is old timer info right here and goes back to the early 1970's.

When the football stadium was built (and about seven years before) surveys and measurements were done for the area behind the shop building and the section that runs behind the vistors bleachers back fence to the railroad property line. The purpose was to place a baseball field as there was not a girls softball program at the time. By the time the stadium started construction the girls had a softball team (but it was slow pitch). Either a softball or baseball field, but not both, could be placed in that far corner facing back toward the stadium. A softball field could easily fit in that section and also behind the shop building but using the area behind that building would take away about 3/4ths of the football practice fields. A baseball facility would not fit behind the shop building. Tennis courts were part of the school grounds when it opened in 1957. The field is in that section now.

To build in the far reach behind the stadium there were three major issues. Grading, distance to parking, and access. It would move the end zone hill and require moving the jump areas for the T&F field events. The cost to grade the hill behind the end zone and toward the visitor side in addition to the severe drop off to the railroad property line would be an extreme cost, probably so cost inefficient it would not be financially sensible. Parking would be a small concern due to the distance to the football parking lot. A road would need to be placed from football field parking lot following behind the visitor side fence for access but due to Spring Arbor's property the road would have go into the football stadium and nearly up to the fence separating the track and walk ways. Cars could park down the road as the school (or city) property is about 75 feet wide the length of the access area until it opens up at the back.

The issue with the very far section is cost due to the topography and the land is probably all rock. The main problem for the rear of the shop building is eating up the practice fields. Behind that section is a 30 acre plat owned by a family (from Charlotte, I think). If that were available it would appear to be great but I have been told that the topography challenges would remain and probably worse due to a large "pond" in the center of the property.

The city / schools systems should have purchased the surrounding land years ago. Probably budget concerns and not sense of need.
 
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bulldog nation2014

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All good. Hopefully relaxation time.

This is old timer info right here and goes back to the early 1970's.

When the football stadium was built (and about seven years before) surveys and measurements were done for the area behind the shop building and the section that runs tbehind the vistors fence to the railroad property line. The purpose was to place a baseball field as there was not a girls softball program at the time. By the time the stadium started construction the girls has a softball team but it was slow pitch. Either a softball or baseball field, but not both, could be placed in that far corner facing back toward the stadium. A softball field could easily fit in that section and also behind the shop building but using the area behind that building would take away about 3/4ths of the football practice fields. There were tennis courts on the side of the gym opposite Park Ridge that were built when the school opened.

To build in the far reach behind the stadium there were three major issues. Grading, distance to parking, and access. It would move the end zone hill and require moving the jump areas for the T&F field events. The cost to grade the hill behind the end zone and toward the visitor side in addition to the severe drop off to the railroad property line would be an extreme cost, probably so cost inefficient it would not be financially sensible. Parking would be a small concern due to the distance to the football parking lot. A road would need to be placed from football field parking lot following behind the visitor side fence for access but due to Spring Arbor's property the road would have go into the football stadium and nearly up to the fence separating the track and walk ways. Cars could park down the road as the school (or city) property is about 75 feet wide the length of the access area until it opens up at the back.

The issue with the very far section is cost due to the topography and the land is probably all rock. The main problem for the rear of the shop building is eating up the practice fields. Behind that section is a 30 acre plat owned by a family (from Charlotte, I think). If that were available it would appear to be great but I have been told that the topography challenges would remain and probably worse due to a large "pond" in the center of the property.

The city / schools systems should have purchased the surrounding land years ago. Probably budget concerns and not sense of need.

There was 5 acres behind the school available that was going to be used for a baseball softball complex and was in the works as the previous admin announced the plans then parties backed out.
 

btango

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There was 5 acres behind the school available that was going to be used for a baseball softball complex and was in the works as the previous admin announced the plans then parties backed out.

Where is the plat in relation to the school? The school property is 27 acres. The school system or city own three acres behind the visitor stands but it is laid out like an axe. Were they trying to get the family to sell a portion of the 30 acre tract that borders the section behind the visitor stands?
 

bulldog nation2014

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Where is the plat in relation to the school? The school property is 27 acres. The school system or city own three acres behind the visitor stands but it is laid out like an axe. Were they trying to get the family to sell a portion of the 30 acre tract that borders the section behind the visitor stands?
Behind the school
 

btango

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That is the exact area I described in my earlier post. Softball field can be shoehorned with the loss of most of the football practice fields. Baseball field would require the other system parcel I noted but construction would be cost prohibitive there. As I wrote that had been looked at years ago. First when the team played at the old, dilapadated Wiscassett Park.

The system had about 40 acres where Park Ridge meets Ridge at one time but has since sold it. Always thought that was where a new middle school would go but the middle school ended up in a better location.