You can add Knightdale to the list of critics of the Wake County school board redistricting proposal.

As noted in today's article, Knightdale community leaders are lobbying the school board to change a proposal that would put the town into three different board districts. They're currently now in District 1 but the plan would send part of the town to Districts 2 and 4.

"The ability for us to have any influence on the board is certainly diluted," said Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen.

The Wake County school system is trumpeting some new initiatives that will be launched for the 2010-11 school year at Knightdale High School.

In a media advisory today, reporters are invited to attend Knightdale High tomorrow to hear Principal Carla Jernigan talk about a new Academy for Environmental Sciences and a new Freshmen Leadership Academy, Jernigan will also discuss a new initiative in which Knightdale and Green Hope high schools will jointly offer Advanced Placement and foreign language classes.

Also present Tuesday will be interim Superintendent Donna Hargens, school board chairman Ron Margiotta, school board member Chris Malone, Wake County Commissioner Joe Bryan, Knightdale Mayor Russell Killen and Knightdale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jennifer Bryan.

Knightdale Expo turns high school into giant baazar

Billy Wilder has watched his labor of love disappear piece by piece.

A professional landscaper and Knightdale Chamber of Commerce volunteer, Wilder had to rebuild much of his 12-foot walk, wall and water fall outside the chamber building. He says thieves made off with about a pallet of flat, Mohave stone from the work as it was in progress.

“I didn’t realize there was going to be that much love in it,” says Wilder wryly.

A retired executive director of the Nurserymen and Landscape Contractors Associations, Wilder offered to put his skills to use when the chamber decided to remodel.

He returned to the chamber one morning recently to find pieces of stone for the walk missing. He had split the Mohave stone and laid it out for installing the night before. After the theft, he got more stone and did the work again.

After Wilder almost finished, the thieves struck again.

In the most recent hit -- July 31--- they made off with the rock around the water feature.

In all, Wilder estimates they took about a ton of stone.

“They apparently had a pickup truck with badly worn tires,” says Wilder. “They rode across the topsoil out front.”

The work is labor-intensive. Wilder progresses at about two feet an hour and that’s after he’s split the stone.

“It’s really sad that we’ve tried to beautify the chamber and the town and to have someone steal something like this from us,” says chamber executive director Jennifer Bryan. “We’re trying to make improvements and someone keeps coming in and helping themselves.”

Knightdale Police Lt. David Simmons said police have no leads.

“We don’t really have anything to go on,” says Simmons.

“Decorative rocks -- it has to be for somebody’s persona1 use,” he says. “It’s not like you could pawn it or resell it. It’d have to be somebody who’d use it in their own yard. There’s no real way to track rocks.”

Simmons says years ago when he was a sheriff’s deputy he saw landscaping theft from new developments, but it’s never happened in Knightdale before

Bryan and Wilder are hoping a member of the public will have seen the culprit or, at least, that knowing about it raises awareness so if anybody sees anything suspicious in the future they will call police.

For now, the chamber will be leaving more lights on, Bryan says.

If you have information that will help, call Detective Tracy Solomon at 217-2268.