Residents press Surry County to address orphan roads and to increase school funding; commissioners pledge follow-up

Residents urged the Surry County Board of Commissioners May 4 to take action on two local concerns: maintenance of so-called orphan roads and increased allocations for public schools.

During the open forum, Alvis Beach asked the county for follow-up after a recent Tax Department visit and earlier remarks; County Manager Chris Knopf later confirmed the Tax Department had followed up and that a letter had been included for the board prior to the April 20 meeting. Sandra Swaim and Tony Kammer described poor road conditions on Jarvis Plantation Road, identified in the minutes as a private orphan road, and asked the county for assistance. Lizzie Morrison and Nichole Harrison urged the board to consider raising public-school funding.

In General County Business that followed, Vice‑Chairman Eddie Harris addressed orphan roads. Commissioner Van Tucker reviewed the history and clarified the differing roles of the county and the Division of Transportation in creating and maintaining roads. Tucker asked County Manager Knopf whether staff had followed up with Alvis Beach; Knopf verified that follow-up had occurred. Chairman Bill Goins said the county would assist citizens with both orphan-road issues and school-funding concerns “as much as possible” at the county level, but the minutes do not record specific commitments of funding or timelines.

The board later entered closed session under North Carolina statutes covering legal, economic development, real estate and personnel matters; no details of the closed session were released in the public minutes. The meeting adjourned at 9:24 p.m.