OCS SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES and School Board Members,, et. al

[Rachel Phelps Hawkins]

Candidates:  Thank you for taking your time to be at Schley Grange last week.  Reports show 1000 + watched online!!! 

You all mentioned "COMMUNITY".....whether you were addressing Community in Schools, Community involvement, Community stakeholders, etc...

To gain Community support is important.

However, to take away School community resources has not been received  well with the outdoors active community people who  enjoy the use of playing fields, tracks, and other resources, including TENNIS COURTS.

Specifically, after 40+ years of the tennis community enjoying playing on the Orange High and Cedar Ridge tennis courts, the School Superintendent  went through policies and found one that 

evidently had not been followed for 40+ years.  Immediately use of courts and outside resources at schools stopped.. (These (OHS) resources had been in joint use with the Orange County Recreation Department for 40 years, until the Recreation Department halted the joint agreement.  (Time? Date? - not sure).)

The public knows this and they also know that after meetings, letters, emails, etc. the Board did not act.    Instead someone said people could use the tennis courts at $100 per hour, and non profits could use at $20 per hour. Tennis is not played by the hour, by the way.  Baseball, softball, soccer, etc, either.

The County did build 3 tennis courts at Fairview.  One is Pickleball, two are highly used;; even it the County built three more at Fairview - one would be for pickleball, and still only four courts.  Orange High has eight already built, reconditioned and locked! Cedar Ridge has at least 6.

So MANY community members are not happy with the decision, and have noted publicly to friends, etc. 

COMMUNITY is everyone who lives here and pays taxes for the schools to have funds with which to operate.  

So you are all advocating for the community to be involved.  MANY do not have children in schools, some have grandchildren in schools, and some actually are involved in schools in many ways.  

So the community is everyone!  

Tennis players are considerate, and in the 40+ years of being on the courts, around the schools other activity areas, there does not seem to be criminal activity.

If  there is a problem with Pickleball players putting tape on the courts, that is easy to solve --- There are pickleball courts at Fairview and Sportsplex under the County auspices.

In fact, a non -profit Tennis Club has offered to be responsible for maintaining daily  upkeep of the tennis courts, etc. as well as having after school time for playing; rather than playing on Fairview Courts which are minimal in number.  So minimal that many people travel to Mebane, Durham to play tennis, WITHOUT any charge.  Orange County has tennis players who participate in USTA and many win local, state, regional and even National events.  In fact, Jason Zoldaz  (Executive Director of the Orange Tennis Club) is copied here and he is more than willing to help solve this issue, as I stated above.

What I am trying to imply is please reconsider the actions of closing school resources to the public after hours.  In fact the Legislature has encouraged the co-use of resources with schools.

Who knows, you might reach the community who may in turn support the schools even if they have no children in the schools.

The County  Board of Commissioners would hopefully rather support the combined use of playing fields ,.

courts and tracks, than have to pay for building new recreational sites.

Many citizens have advocated for the combined use by letters, petitions, in person meetings, and at board meetings......still ongoing!

THANK you all who are on our school board, for your excellent service, and best wishes to those who wish to serve.

Thank You.

Rachel Phelps Hawkins

105 Woodlawn Dr  27278

9192109355

Tennis player representative