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Staford intent on preserving historic beauty in Statesville
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Published: September 27, 2009
John Staford did not end up in Statesville by an accident or a fluke.
He explains that he and his wife arrived here 11 years ago by way of a "vetting" process that included very specific criteria. "It was a long list of things," he said.
The point, Staford said, is that he could have chosen any location in the United States when he left his home in California, and he chose States-ville.
And now, as a candidate for the Ward 5 seat on the Statesville City Council, Staford sees things in his new hometown "that we need to do better."
Among them, he said, the city needs to brag more about its historic homes.
"People who have money see these homes and invest in them," he said. "And we should never let any of them slip away."
Staford, 50, said the city's demolition of the Anderson House early this year provided him with the impetus to throw his hat in the ring.
"The council tearing that house down was criminal," he said. "That house was the second finest example of Queen Anne style in the state and now it's gone."
Staford, a former member of the Statesville Historic Preservation Commission, said the city could have put up the money to save the Walnut Street house and then recouped its investment through liens against the house's owner, William Tucker.
"They would have never lost a dime on the deal," he said. "But now we've lost a jewel in our crown that we will never get back."
Staford said the city also erred in construction of the $8 million Fitness and Activity Center and water park.
"I didn't think it was a good idea to use tax dollars to pay for that," he said. "If Carowinds wanted to build a park here, they'd have done that."
Staford said the new facility will eventually start to bring in less revenue and cost more to maintain. He also believes it competes with private fitness centers.
"Anytime the private sector can do something, the private sector should do it," Staford said.
He said a better option would have been to build two community pools in different parts of the city.
Staford said he is for the proposed NC 115 & Downtown Statesville Streetscape/Land Use Master Plan as it applies to downtown, but does not know how it is going to work in South Statesville. He praised the efforts of the Fifth Street Shelter Ministries but said the facility could be a deal breaker for potential new businesses to relocate in the area.
"They do a tremendous job with a great success rate," he said. "But would you build next to it?"
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