ROCKY MOUNT 鈥 The town government is asking for some clarification from Franklin County before the county moves forward with the construction of a proposed career and technical education facility within the town limits.
In February, Franklin County placed an option to purchase the former Mod-U-Kraf building at 260 Weaver St. in Rocky Mount for $5 million. The county鈥檚 intention is to renovate the 30,000 square feet of office space and 170,00 square feet of manufacturing space into a CTE facility as well as a public safety headquarters with a 911 dispatch center.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors and county Public Schools have plans to purchase the former Mod-U-Kraf building in Rocky Mount to be repurposed for a long-discussed Career and Technical Education facility for the school and a 911 dispatch center for the county.
While the CTE facility would be a county project, the proposed location in the former Mod-U-Kraf building is within town limits. An amendment to the town鈥檚 zoning ordinance would be required to allow it to move forward.
The Rocky Mount Town Council sent a letter Monday afternoon to the Franklin County Board of Supervisors asking for additional information on the proposal. The council wants to know about the impact of the CTE facility on the town, the safety of students who would be attending classes inside an industrial park and the impact on those living and working near the park.
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鈥淗ow will the addition of children to the industrial park be addressed in order to guarantee their safety and that of the existing businesses and their employees in the industrial park? Will modifications or improvements to roads in the area be required, and is the county going to cover the costs of such work?鈥 is one of the questions asked.
There are also concerns about the impact of additional traffic on State Street and Weaver Street due to buses and additional cars driven by teachers and administrators to the CTE facility as well as public safety personnel and equipment to and from the public safety facility. The town council asks in the letter, for example, if the county is proposing to pay for any necessary improvements to the roads due to increased traffic.
Cost is another concern mentioned. The town council asks what financial impact the proposed construction would have on town residents and businesses and if a real estate tax increase may be necessary in the future to fund the project.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors voted last week not to raise taxes in the county in the fiscal year starting July 1. County staff initially proposed a 2-cent real estate tax increase and a 2% meals tax increase.
According to the letter, the town鈥檚 Planning and Zoning Commission and the town council would be required to hold public hearings on the proposed change to zoning. The issue would also have to go to the town council for a vote.
The town council also questions in the letter if it should move forward with the zoning changes when the county has started and stopped multiple CTE projects in recent years. In each of those occasions, the town spent 鈥渃onsiderable time, energy and resources鈥 to assist in pursuing the project.
The warehouse area of the former Mod-U-Kraf building in Rocky Mount is seen during a tour of the facility in March.
At the request of the county, the town rezoned property behind Franklin County High School in 2017 for the purpose of a CTE facility. In 2022, the county considered another location for the CTE facility at the former Mod-U-Kraf building, and the town assisted in discussions to rezone the property.
The board of supervisors in 2022 decided against purchasing the Mod-U-Kraf building and moved back to the proposal to construct the CTE facility at the property behind the high school. The county was given a cost estimate a year later in 2023 of $71 million to construct the facility following months of work with designers.
That proposal was changed once again when the county decided last month to pursue the purchase of the Mod-U-Kraf building for a second time for a CTE facility. One of the reasons given was due the cost savings of repurposing the building over constructing a new building at the property behind the high school.
The Rocky Mount Town Council is requesting a response to the letter before April 30. This would allow time to review the response before the town council鈥檚 regular meeting May 12.
Rocky Mount Mayor C. Holland Perdue said Monday the town council understands the need and is in favor of a new CTE facility in the county. If they are provided with sufficient answers to their questions, work can proceed on the necessary zoning amendments for the former Mod-U-Kraf building.
The 色多多 called and left a message with Franklin County Administrator Chris Whitlow on Monday afternoon. The call was not returned before deadline.
