Citizens of Cave Spring have been abuzz since Mayor Rob Ware forced the city council to have a revote on a rezoning referendum that could ultimately affect the future of the Cave Spring Elementary School property.
The Cave Spring City Council was forced to have a second “first reading” for a new zoning ordinance after Mayor Rob Ware vetoed their second reading last month.
Ware argued that the veto was issued because the first and second readings should’ve been done consecutively and that the second reading wasn’t valid since it wasn’t on the original agenda sent out to the public.
Ware said that the readings weren’t given “proper public notification prior to adoption for a second and final reading.” He went on to argue that the vote was not on the agenda. However, it was brought to CVN’s attention that City Councilwoman Joyce Mink sent Ware an email well in advance of the meeting asking for the vote to be included as the council planned for some time.
So why is this an issue?
With the approval on Wednesday night, a second and final reading could take several weeks. Could this move be meant as a “kick the can down the road” way to allow time for the Floyd County BOE to vote on the property’s future?
Mayor Rob Ware, who is in a relationship with Betty Sue Hickman, is the chair for the Cave Spring Housing Authority, who seeks to acquire the property for public housing.
The two proposals for the property are a community center led by the Cave Spring Community Coalition and public housing, led by Hickman.
“I can see how some people would think we are in collusion, but that is simply not the case,” Ware said.
We also asked Ware how did he feel the people of Cave Spring felt about the future of Cave Spring Elementary. Ware said, “I really don’t know. We’ve never had a packed house at any one of our meetings to share their thoughts.”
There is a petition with hundreds of signatures of Floyd County Citizens asking for the council to go with a community center proposal.
The vote, which the council approved once would make the property that is Cave Spring Elementary School a C-1 (limited commercial for retail, restaurants, offices and banks). The move would ultimately end Hickman’s quest for public housing on the site. Thus the reason many are questioning Mayor Ware’s motives behind him cancelling the vote.
The Floyd County Board of Education will ultimately decide the fate of the property. In previous meetings the major issue with the second option for the property, a community center, was funding.
According to Judy Taylor, Chair of the Cave Spring Community Collation, the group has secured over $5 million to support the operation cost.
Taylor said that she will be presenting the collation’s business plan with details on proof of funding to the Floyd County BOE on February 7th.
Mink said a proper notice with the date and time for the second reading will be sent out in the next couple weeks.