Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Campus Proposal topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Community group asks Cabell board to consider Meadows Elementary property for church campus and services
Summary
Members of Kingdom Life Fellowship Church requested that the board consider allowing their organization to use the former Meadows Elementary School property as a community campus offering childcare, after-school programming and other services; the board did not respond to comments during public delegation period, citing policy.
Several members of Kingdom Life Fellowship Church urged the Cabell County Board of Education during the public-delegation period to allow the church to use the former Meadows Elementary School property as a local campus and community center.
“I think though I wanted to come with a little bit of a unique perspective in it all,” said Dr. Gerald Clark, who identified himself as assistant pastor at Kingdom Life Fellowship Church, describing prior experience converting an older school building into a community center that housed daycare, after-school programs and other services. Clark told the board the church wants to offer daycare, fatherhood initiatives, food and health programs, job training and college-preparatory services if it could use the building.
Other speakers from the group described personal experiences and needs. A 17-year-old who identified herself as Tamara Gregory spoke about addiction recovery and mental-health support the church has provided; “without this church, I genuinely don't know where I would be today,” she said. Mona Sanders, a Huntington resident and parent, said a Huntington campus would let the church be “more present and responsive to the needs of the family right here in our community,” and she raised childcare as a potential long-term service.
Board members did not engage with the speakers during the delegation period; one board member explained later that the board’s policy prohibits responding or interacting with delegations during public comment. “I would like for these folks to know that we are not disinterested in their presentations and we're not asking questions because I believe it's in our board policy that we don't respond or interact with delegations,” the board member said, adding that silence should not be taken as indifference.
Speakers requested the board “strongly consider” the church’s proposal and said the group would put the building to use if entrusted with it. The meeting record shows the delegations were heard during the public-comment portion of the agenda; the board took no immediate action on property disposition during the meeting.
