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Resident urges pause to Chesterfield Elementary demolition, offers reuse vision
Summary
A resident presented a petition with about 200 signatures asking Burke County to pause demolition of Chesterfield Elementary and pursue an interlocal transfer to create a multigenerational community hub, citing costs and legal risks if the site is sold on the open market.
During the informal public comment period on July 20, resident Kelly Michaels urged the Burke County Board of Commissioners to pause the planned demolition of Chesterfield Elementary and pursue a community‑center reuse.
Michaels said petitioners delivered roughly 200 signatures and submitted examples of other Western North Carolina schools repurposed as community centers. She urged the board to pursue an interlocal property transfer with the school board to convert the campus into a multigenerational hub with active recreation, lifelong‑education space, a community garden and a business incubator. "I urge this board to open immediate dialogue with the school board to pause demolition and explore the public park transition," Michaels said. She expressed concern that selling the property on the open market could allow a charter school to acquire it, and argued a transfer could legally protect the site for public use.
Commissioners thanked her for the presentation; no formal board vote or direction to staff was recorded on the transcript. The petition and supporting materials were entered into the meeting packet per the speaker’s remarks.
