This afternoon, the Raleigh City Council unanimously approved St. Augustine’s College’s special use permit for a 2,500 seat stadium. While some neighbors continued to oppose the stadium, I had concluded that the conditions the school was applying to the permit mitigated most of the impact the stadium would have on the community. My home is very near the main entrance to the parking area, so I am one of those who would be most affected by traffic and parking.
One thing that bothered me (and still does) is the way school president Dr. Suber played the victim card in her mailing to supporters. There’s no way a 144-year-old college could possibly be bullied by the neighbors, yet she made it sound that way in her appeal for support:
We continue to meet with area homeowners to explain the importance of the facility to the College’s mission. Unfortunately, there continues to be opposition to our efforts to complete the project. Our opposition fears the George Williams Athletic Complex will attract elements to the community that are unwelcomed by homeowners and that the College’s fan base tends to be not as well behaved as those of other area institutions. Nothing could be further from the truth, but false rumors continue to be circulated in an effort to delay or stop the project altogether. We are working hard, however, we need those of you who are local to attend the September 20 hearing in support of the project. Although the conversation centers around the completion of the stadium, there is a bigger issue at hand and we must take a stand for the future of Saint Augustine’s College.
I’m not aware of the neighbors ever disrespecting the school’s students. It seemed to me that their focus was on the project’s impact on the neighborhood from a traffic, noise, and parking perspective. Right from the start, the neighbors felt outgunned in this stadium effort and I think Dr. Suber was wrong to cast them in this light.
In spite of St. Augustine’s attorney Clyde Holt’s pledge to the East CAC to provide the latest project documents to the CAC for dissemination, no documents were ever provided. Nor did attorney Beth Trahos ever respond to my email requesting updated documents, even after the law firm sent a letter inviting me to contact them with any questions. Whether this was sloppy follow-up or an intentional slight I don’t know, but it sure looks bad.
Then there was the strange interview that the N&O sports reporter Edward G. Robinson III conducted with me a month or so ago. Robinson asked me for the neighbors’ perspective on the stadium, and if I recall even asked me more-or-less directly what it would take to ease the neighbors’ concerns. I mentioned rolling the parking price into the ticket might help and later I saw this had become a condition the school submitted. Robinson’s story, however, never ran. Why did he waste my time and his if the story wasn’t going to run? Did he even intend to write a story?
I was surprised that the school scaled back to 2,500 seats as I thought with the parking issue settled that the school had a good chance of getting 5,000 seats. In the resulting news stories the neighbors were blamed once again (those mean neighbors in their modest little homes – always picking on their larger, better-funded neighbor!) though I had my doubts that this was the cause. Several local schools are facing financial challenges now and I have no reason to think St. Augustine’s is immune. I have wondered if this isn’t the real reason the plans were scaled back.
So, the stadium is approved and the trust between the college and neighborhood needs some serious rebuilding. Maybe I’m a fool for giving the college the benefit of the doubt on this project but I’m willing to give it a try. I hope my trust isn’t misplaced.