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Residents press county on Harlem Academy demolition plans and allege domestic‑violence enforcement gaps
Summary
Public commenters urged the county to fully explain demolition plans for Harlem Academy buildings and to address alleged failures by the sheriff's department to follow domestic‑violence injunction procedures; staff offered to share engineering and grant reports and said two grants are being pursued but are insufficient to complete the whole project.
During the public‑comment period on June 9 several residents raised concerns about a proposed demolition and redevelopment at Harlem Academy and about law‑enforcement practices related to domestic‑violence injunctions.
Cynthia Willer (Pioneer Plantation) told the board she opposed any local effort to attract data centers and alleged the sheriff’s supervisors were misapplying state statute on domestic‑violence injunctions, saying that practice could leave victims at risk. "They put input the wrong information in the NCIC and effectively means if somebody has a temporary injunction that has been served and they go out to that home ... the sheriff department will not intervene because it is their understanding because the final injunction hasn't been served that they don't have the authority until that final injunction is served and that places everybody in danger," Willer said. She offered to provide video evidence to the board.
Other speakers from the Harlem community asked why one of three historic buildings at the Harlem site was not included in the demolition authorization, requested the architect's and asbestos reports, and asked for a clear project budget and timeline. Staff replied that engineers prepared a report recommending demolition of two buildings (and not the third), that two grants are currently being pursued (one with a tight deadline and another extending to 2030), and that the grants are unlikely by themselves to fund the entire project. County Administrator Jennifer Davis and other staff offered to share the engineer's recommendation and other documentation with community members and work on a timeline for the demolition and rebuild if grant approval and board direction move the project forward.
Why it matters: Residents living near the Harlem site asked for transparency about public funds, safety and long‑term planning for a community facility that serves children. The board did not make a new funding commitment during the meeting; staff repeated that additional approvals and grant awards will be required to proceed.
