The North Carolina Department of Transportation needs a portion of the property West End Elementary School sits on to widen North Carolina Route 211.“The growth in the area is why the highway needs four lanes.
The school system declined $180,000 NCDOT offered for the property.
According to the Moore County Board of Education, the expansion would impact a portion of the school’s parking lot, creating safety and noise concerns.“
“The Department has been in contact with the Moore County Board of Education for about a year regarding the right-of-way acquisition process. Because the parties could not come to terms on a settlement over the course of this time, condemnation became necessary to keep this important project – which was identified as a need by the local planning organization – on schedule. The Department has followed all federal and state guidelines and NCDOT right-of-way policy throughout this process. NCDOT has entered litigation with the Moore County Board of Education, and the Department does not comment on active litigation.”
MCBOE said after the widening project, traffic would be less than 80 feet from the school’s entrance.MCBOE requested NCDOT pay the appraised property value, cost of safety barriers and cover the cost of relocating classrooms.
In negotiations with the NCDOT over the purchase of the property, the MCBOE requested that NCDOT consider the following:
*To cover the cost of a barrier to help mitigate traffic and safety concerns as well as noise from the roadway;
*To cover the cost of relocating two modular units at the front of the school to a quieter location;
*To cover the actual cost of replacing the school’s monument sign and flagpole that will be removed by NCDOT; and
*To value the property to be consistent with the appraised market value of other properties along State Route 211 purchased by NCDOT.
The NCDOT declined to accommodate these requests and began condemnation proceedings. Under condemnation laws, the property at the front of the school is now owned by the state. The MCBOE has the right to contest the value of the property.
Richard Schwartz, the Attorney for MCBOE,“The School system has serious concerns about safety, noise and all of our school students, staff and employees. We are going to continue to negotiate with NCDOT until we arrive at a safe and equitable solution.”
