Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind (Florence School Board)?

What do you do if ABC is no better than XYZ? You pick one and stick with it. That doesn't sound too hard, does it? Apparently it's too hard for some individuals to fathom, whether at the federal, state, or local level. No, we're not talking about federal prosecutors here, we're thinking of school sites.

Florence's elected school board held public hearings on the location of a new middle school. Perhaps ABC wasn't any better than XYZ, but after listening to the public, conferring with architects, and consulting bank accounts, the Florence School Board had to choose. They chose the old Coffee High property for the new middle school. They then invested money, citizen's money, in architectural plans. Then they invested more money in tearing down three large structures. They invested even more money in hauling away debris, then having the property prepared for construction.

We have to ask why UNA representatives weren't present at these public hearings? Yes, it was obviously before concrete plans were drawn up, but if the stadium's future was so important to UNA, why not attend meetings about property adjacent to the stadium? Not showing all that public concern, were they then?

We know that at least two UNA grads labor here, including Shoalanda herself. If the university can backtrack on decisions with such temerity, we're worried about our diplomas.

On another UNA front, we're told Dr. Kenneth Dale Kitts, erstwhile South Carolinian, has fired several at the university who don't kowtow to him. We would sincerely like to hear from any who have more information on these events.

It's been a long, long time since we've named a local hero. We're naming one now, one who gave tirelessly, and still does, to the university. That's Dr. Robert Potts. Or should we say Dr. Dr. Robert Potts—he's entitled. Not too many hold a masters in the law, or so we've often been told.

Thank you, Dr. Potts! We appreciate you and all you and your family have done for the Shoals over the years. We often think how different UNA's future would have been if only you had stayed on as president until your retirement...