Group Asks For J.P. Law Ownership

by Jennipher Dickens - September 1st, 2007 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald


Kelvin Outlaw of Merry Hill Talks About J.P. Law

Some citizens in the Merry Hill community are apparently still interested in utilizing the now vacant J.P. Law Elementary School for community purposes, but their wishes and plans may be in vain.

County attorney Lloyd Smith informed the Bertie County Commissioners during their regular meeting last Monday night that the bank might not be able to release the school.

"The bank has been trying to find out if they can release the schools under QZAB regulations, but they're not sure at this point if that will be possible," Smith stated.

It was thought at one time there might be a way around the school having to lie dormant after it was closed because of regulations set forth when the QZAB loan was taken out.

Under QZAB terms, a school that uses QZAB money for renovations cannot be used for anything other than educational purposes for the life of the loan.

I spent some time the other night disagreeing with some citizens who were blaming this problem on the current BOE, County Commissioners and County Officials. The one comment I want to add to Jennipher's article is to remind people that no one currently working to fix this problem created it.

An arrogant federal court Judge, an out of touch DOJ, and some now out of office BOE members who wanted a single elementary school for all of Bertie County, forced the closure of these schools. This was the year after these same BOE members spent nearly $1.5 million in QZAB bonds on J.P. Law and Askewville Elementary schools creating the current problem. If they were going to close them, why on earth did these BOE . . . . members (I so want to be insulting and use a word like idiot but I will resist the temptation) spend this money and then close the schools?

I cannot resist pointing out that the judge in question who gave the order to close our schools was trying to pander for support by liberals of his candidacy for an appeals court position. It did not work. The liberals who opposed him still opposed him and he lost anyway.

However don't blame the current BOE, County Commissioners, County Manager and County Attorney for this problem. They did not create this situation. They are simply trying to undo the damage that others have done. I appreciate how hard they are working to try and fix it.