CCBOE discusses renaming NBHS gym

The Coffee County Board of Education discussed renaming the gymnasium at New Brockton High School to memorialize a former principal, mayor, coach and community icon during a work session on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

Marcus Brown, the director of the New Brockton Youth Department, asked the board to consider renaming the gymnasium at NBHS to the Charles B. Cole Gymnasium at the board's July 14 meeting.

Previously, the board approved renaming the gym at Kinston School.

Board member Shag LaPrade suggested the board develop some procedures for instances when people request naming a building after a person.

"We need to set up some type of procedure before we rename anything anymore," LaPrade said. "We jumped on that last one. I hadn't heard anyone complain, but I think it would be best for the board if we were to have some kind of criteria for anyone to come in and want to request renaming or naming something after someone."

Board member Jimmy Clarke suggested that the New Brockton Town Council should have input on any decision to rename the gym.

Board President Mike Bailey said he thought the school's alumni association should be allowed to provide input into renaming the NBHS gym.

Brian McLeod said he also believes that guidelines should be in place.

"I just don't want it to look like we'll rubber stamp every request, and we get every building on every campus or every something named after somebody because it can get pretty meaningless."

He said later that it was important to make sure requests have the support of the community for decisions such as these.

Board member Rubin McKinnon said he thought the community would be "overwhelmingly positive" about renaming the gym after Cole.

"It's not the whole school; it's just the gym," McKinnon said. "I think the responsibility is taken off of us the minute that those representatives (requesting the name change) come in. If we write up some type of specification, then it moves all responsibility back on us."

Eddins said that, by the board previously approving renaming the Kinston facility without any procedures or guidelines in place, a precedent was set.

"As of now, no matter what it is or who it is, we have already set a precedent in that Kinston got one, and then whoever that is recommended or has been recommended at New Brockton (High School), we're going to have to go that way," Eddins said.

He also said that the board should set some parameters regarding naming or renaming school facilities.

Board member Galen McWaters agreed with McKinnon that the majority of New Brockton community members would support renaming the high school's gym. He said he also agreed with Eddins about a precedent being set.

"I do realize that we need to establish criteria going forward from this point," McWaters said. "As far as this instance, I think we may need to go ahead and take a vote. If anyone was really dead set against it, I think you would have heard it by now."

Both McKinnon and LaPrade suggested that a set of guidelines could be developed after the board makes a decision on renaming the NBHS gym.

The board is expected to vote on renaming the gym at the board's next meeting on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 5:30 p.m. The board will also be holding a budget hearing on Sept. 1, at 5 p.m.