The debate regarding possible annexation of most of
A discussion on the merits and cost of making higher education more readily available locally will continue until
In the May 8 election, voters in all but two
Annexation would be the cornerstone in a college campus that would be built just over a mile west of Bonham on U.S. 82 on 100 acres donated by Bob and Kay Carrel expressly for this purpose.
Six Grayson County College Board of Trustees and GCC President Alan Scheibmeir attended a public meeting Saturday, February 6 at the Fannin County Courthouse to explain that if
That obligation is estimated to be approximately 15 cents per $100 of assessed value of property should Fannin County voters choose to partner with Grayson County. And if Fannin County decides to join the Grayson College District, a more inclusive name for the college would be selected. Red River College would seem to be a more fitting name for a college with campuses in Grayson and Fannin counties.
Of the 15 speakers who signed up to voice their opinion at the public hearing, 12 urged Fannin County residents to consider all the positive aspects of offering higher education at a local college.
Former Bonham ISD Superintendent Carl McEachern called the possibility of annexation "the most important thing that has come down the pike" during his years in Bonham.
"This is by far the most important thing that has happened in the 20 years I've been here," Mr. McEachern stated. "We are not the best educated county -- and I don't mean four-year degrees -- I mean technical skills. In today's work environment, you have to have training above the high school level to support a family. There is a tremendous benefit to this school and what they can offer. We needed a little push a couple of years ago and along came Bob and Kay Carrell to donate the land. We've been working on this for 15 years and it looks like we are finally going to put this to a vote."
The next speaker was Lisbeth Echeandia.
"As Carl says, this is one of the most important things we can do in
Patty Clung offered a different opinion.
"I'm opposed to annexation," Ms. Clung remarked, adding that it is an easy drive to a number of surrounding college campuses --
Glenn Taylor, Executive Director of Bonham Economic Development Corporation, was the next speaker and Mr. Taylor asked residents to consider the economic development associated with a proposed project such as building a campus similar to the GCC south campus in Van Alstyne.
Mr. Taylor said any entity would be excited at the prospect of a $6-$7 million facility. In addition to making more college courses available to
"County colleges put their product right back into the community,"
Skip Jones also touted the economic development this project could bring to
"What courses will be offered?" Thump Witcher asked.
Mr. Witcher believed the average student might be better off purchasing fuel to attend any number of existing colleges in
Melody Michaud addressed the audience in support of annexation.
Allen Sanderson said that joining the Grayson College District and having a college in
By Mr. Sanderson's calculations, if the 500
A unemployed man from
Paul Cardwell voiced his support for annexation and appealed to the GCC Board of Trustees to offer a diverse curriculum, even if all courses couldn't be offered on an accredited basis.
Charles Butler told the crowd that both of his children attended
"It is the best value in education there is,"
While most talk about the possibility of bringing a college campus to
"It is more about making life better in
Bonham Mayor Roy Floyd took a moment to welcome the GCC Board of Trustees.
"Thank you for coming and while you're here spend some money,” Mayor Floyd said to the college board, tongue in cheek.
"Sounds like a politician," board member Bill McFatridge quipped back with a big smile.
Returning to a serious debate regarding a
During the discussion of advantages and costs, Mayor Floyd asked the audience to consider the safety issue of students traveling 1.2 miles west of Bonham to a campus versus driving 55 miles round trip to the
"There are a lot of reasons we in
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the most impassioned plea for Fannin County citizens to show their support for higher education came from the man who felt strongly enough about the merits of this concept to donate 100 acres for facilities of higher education in Fannin County, Bob Carrel.
"The reality is that today a young person with a high school diploma or a GED cannot look forward to raising a family with income from the low-end jobs that they will have to take," Mr. Carrell stated. "Contrast that with the historical reality that, for example, 97 per cent of the technical college graduates will have found good jobs within six months of graduation. Think what kind of difference the full implementation of college prep and vocational courses would mean in the lives of everyone in
Mr. Carrell reminded the audience that course offerings and attendance have already outgrown the
"We will have programs in pre-engineering and science, computer science, business administration, nursing and others," Carrel said. "And someday we'll get into nuclear engineering and veterinary medicine. Vocational programs will include welding, automotive and machinery repair. Aircraft maintenance and repair comes later. A quite bold vision, wouldn't you think? But a vision without action counts for nothing."