The Wake Forest Town Board has been going into closed sessions during and after board meetings recently because the company that wanted to build a charter school on 35 acres on Harris Road sued the town. Now we know why, and yesterday they had good news.
On Dec. 11, 2020, SchoolDev LLC filed a writ of certiorari in Wake Superior Court appealing the town’s decision not to approve the plan for Wake Preparatory Academy that was heard on Oct. 7, 2020. Town attorney Eric Vernon said Judge Vince Rozier Jr. heard the case on Feb. 24, 2021, and Monday, March 1, the judge ruled in favor of the town.
“We don’t know if School Dev will appeal that decision or not. There are no other pending cases to which the Town is a party,” Vernon wrote in an email Tuesday before the town board work session that afternoon.
The board had some important business when they met at 5:30 p.m. First they heard from Chief Financial Officer Aileen Staples, who told them she was getting ready to issue the final $4.9 million in the general obligation bonds from the 2014 bond election. “In conjunction with that we are issuing $1.29 million in bond for streets and sidewalks. This will give us additional resources toward the Ligon Mill Project which is ongoing now.” The town board voted unanimously to authorize an application to the Local Government Commission, part of the process of selling the bonds. Staples said she anticipates ‘having the money in hand by mid-June.”
The board also voted to annex the 37 acres at the intersection of East Wait Avenue (N.C. 98) and Averette Road for the future Thales Academy and to approve the rezoning of that land to conditional highway business.
Senior Planner Kari Grace told the board the plan had been updated somewhat because of comments made in the neighborhood meeting. She told Commissioner Jim Dyer there was sufficient stacking room on the site for the parents’ cars as they dropped off and picked up their children. It will include grades from kindergarten through twelfth grade. She told Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon there will be a sidewalk along Averette Road.
Commissioner Chad Sary recused himself and left the room for the vote because of a business conflict. The vote was three to one for each part with Commissioner Adam Wright voting no, Commissioners Jim Dyer, Liz Simpers and Bridget Wall-Lennon voting yes.
The closed session with Vernon came after the votes and before the commissioner reports.
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