Land Use Plan – 2002 - Stanly County, North Carolina

STANLY COUNTY
The four High Schools are dispersed throughout the county: North Stanly High School just south
of New London, Albemarle High School, South Stanly High School just east of Norwood, and
West Stanly High School in Red Cross (see Figure 4-7). Presently the four high schools are
experiencing problems with capacity due to growth in western Stanly County. West Stanly High
School is presently very crowded, and South Stanly High School has plenty of room to
expansion. The county school system is undergoing redistricting to help redistribute the
enrollment population. School location has been identified as a problem in the past. Water and
sanitary sewer availability need to be considered along with roadway infrastructure when
choosing a location for a new school.
Higher/Continuing Education
Stanly County is home to two institutions of higher learning: Stanly Community College and
Pfeiffer University. Stanly Community College is located in the City of Albemarle and is
accredited community college offering associate degrees. Degrees offered vary from industrial
to technological and allied health areas. Pfeiffer University, founded in 1855, is located in
Misenheimer. Pfeiffer University offers both Undergraduate and Graduate Degree programs
including an MBA program.
Safety Services
Fire Districts
There are 16 fire districts and departments within Stanly County (see Figure 4-7). Each
departments—with the exception of Albemarle’s—are volunteer departments. Albemarle’s and
Norwood’s departments are municipally-operated. Funding for all but one of the non-municipal
departments is provided through countywide property taxes.
Emergency Medical Services
Hospitals
Stanly County Emergency Medical Services provides emergency treatment and transport prior to
hospital arrival as well as patient transfer between hospitals and convalescent transport. The
service is sponsored by the Stanly Memorial Hospital. There are three locations of operation that
include Albemarle, Locust, and north of Norwood. Four units are manned 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. Currently there are eight ambulances along with one staff vehicle. Five vehicles
are on the road each day while three are reserved for use during maintenance. The fire
departments provide Medical First Responder Program countywide and are trained to provide
care until the ambulance arrives. Plans are currently underway to relocate the Locust facility to
Red Cross on the NC 24/27 corridor at the NC 205 intersection.
Stanly County Memorial Hospital is a 119-bed facility that is currently expanding and is expected
to increase its capacity by 50 percent when additions are complete. The hospital is located in the
City of Albemarle. Some of the services that the hospital provides include but are not limited to,
cardiac care unit, intensive care unit, behavioral health unit, outpatient center, radiology
department, cardiac catheterizations for heart patients, Occupational Health Services, and a
physical rehabilitation unit.
Albemarle-Stanly County Airport
Albemarle-Stanly County Airport is located northeast of Albemarle near Palestine. The airport,
which was dedicated in 1979, is a transport category facility that can accommodate Boeing 737-
300 class aircraft. The airport contains two runways—a primary 5,500-foot runway and
Land Use Plan 4-17 6/02