All county elected officials, who were elected last month, were sworn in in Circuit Court Friday. The ceremony was conducted by Judge James Updike.
It’s really a historic event. Although elected officials don’t have to be sworn in in the courtroom — it can be privately done at their convenience — to be legal, it has been done in that courtroom for decades. Judge Updike has done it since he became circuit court judge in 1998. Before him, Judge William Sweeney did it since 1955. His predecessor also conducted the swearing in ceremony there.
It’s a historic courtroom. When the courthouse was renovated at the beginning of the century, Judge Updike insisted on leaving the appearance of the circuit court room alone. The county listened to him. It was probably a good idea to listen to the chief judge of the 24th Circuit Court.
The court, itself is historic. When the elected officials were sworn in, the oil paintings of previous judges looked down on them. Many were in 19th century garb. One man was in 18th century clothing. Bedford County’s court is almost 270 years old.
Most of the people sworn in were returning incumbents. They know what they are in for. A few are brand new and the “fun” starts for them when they take the hot seats next month. They always have tough decisions to make.
The school board has finally got moving on a negotiating a contract to replace the canopies at Staunton River High School and Liberty High School. Back when they were built, 60 years ago, there seemed to be a school architecture fad going around to build campus-style high schools. It was brief and for good reason. It’s just not a good idea. The result is that both schools have multiple buildings connected by walkways which must be covered with canopies so students can change classes without getting soaked on rainy days. Campus-style high schools mean students must go outside to change classes.
As seems to have been typical in our school division, maintenance on these canopies seems to have been often deferred. Now, they seriously leak and the decision was made that it was better to replace them than repair them. The school board will start negotiating with the contractor who made a bid on the project and the board decided to wait until after the beginning of the new year so the new school board members would be seated.
The new school board members will, during their terms of office, also have to wrestle with a problem that will be more fun than a barrel of rattlesnakes to deal with. Schools in the western and central part of the county have declining enrollment and that enrollment is projected to continue to decline. Meanwhile schools in the Forest zone are busting at the seams.
What is the school board going to do?
They are going to have big problems if they want to close any existing school in the western end of the county while building a new school in the Forest zone. Parents of students in a school slated for closure, as well as people in the community, will raise Cain over that proposal. The proposal to close an existing school while building something new in Forest will probably get an icy reception from the board of supervisors, who must fund that new construction. This will be especially true of the school board has not made a serious effort at school consolidation first.
If the school board opts for a serious effort at school consolidation. If they do that, parents of students slated to be moved to another school will raise Cain.
Of course, the supervisors have all been in the pit with the bear on multiple situations where they had to make decisions in situations in which somebody is going to be angry no matter what the do.
For, everybody else, please cut these folks some slack. Be polite when you give them your opinion on some matter and accept the fact that you won’t always be on the winning side of every argument.
