&=
nbsp; The
Alleghany County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, October 5, 2009,=
at 6:30pm in the Board Meetin=
g Room of
the County Administration Buil=
ding,
348 South Main Street,
Sparta, North Caro=
lina.
=
Present: Chair Ken Richardson, Vice-Chair R=
andy
Miller, Commissioner Doug Murphy, Commissioner =
Milly
Richardson, Commissioner Steve Roten, County
Attorney Donna Shumate, County Manager
Don Adams, and Clerk to the Bo=
ard Karen Evans.
Chair
Ken Richardson called the meeting to order.
Commissioner
Milly Richardson led the Pledge of Allegiance and opened the meeting with a
prayer.
Chair
Ken Richardson stated that a Rural Center Application Form needs to be added
under County Business.
Commissioner Milly Richardson made a
motion to approve the amended agenda for this October 5, 2009, meeting. Commissioner Doug
Murphy seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
AGENDA
Monday,
Oc=
tober 5, 2009
6:30 PM
6:30 &=
nbsp; Meeting Called To Order <=
/o:p>
Pledge of Allegiance and Praye=
r
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Motion
on Agenda for October
5, 2009, meeting
Motion on Minutes for September 21 and 22, 2009, meeting=
s
6:35 A. &nbs=
p; Public
Comments—30 minutes
&=
nbsp; B. Public
Hearing
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; RE:
E-911 Road
Names
&=
nbsp; C. Chamber
of Commerce/Occupancy Tax Annual Reports
&=
nbsp; D. Piney
Creek Volunteer Fire Department Annual Report
E. =
County B=
usiness
1. Planning Board Appointment
2. EMS Building Award Date for Metal Portion<=
o:p>
3. 911 Contract=
4. Local Firefighter’s Reli=
ef
Fund Board—CLVFD
5. Surplus Sale
6. USDA Letter of Conditions and
Resolution
7. Fairgrounds—Tank Site
8. PARTF Grant Update<=
/span>
9. QSCB Update<=
/p>
10. Rural Center Application Form &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; (added)
11. Other Business
12. Closed Session—NCGS 143-=
318.11
(a) (6)—personnel
13. Adjourn
Commissioner Milly Richardson made a
motion to approve the minutes for the September 21 and 22, 2009, meetings
. Commissioner Steve Roten seconded =
the
motion. Vote 5:0. =
Chair
Ken Richardson asked for public comments. None were received. He closed the public comments port=
ion of
the meeting.
=
Wendy
Williams, E-911 Coordinator/Mapper, c=
ame
before the Board to present one new road name. She explained
the road’s location.
=
Chair
Ken Richardson opened the public hearing regarding the 911 road name at 6:35pm.<=
/p>
Chair
Ken Richardson asked for public comments.&=
nbsp;
None were received.
Chair
Ken Richardson closed the public hearing at 6:36pm and reconvened the regular meeting.
&nb=
sp;
&=
nbsp; Commissioner
Doug Murphy made a motion to a=
pprove
the road name as presented by the E-911 Coordinator/Mapper. Commissioner Milly Richardson seco=
nded
the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
Bob Bamberg, Chamber of Commerce Director, came
before the Board to present the annual report for the Chamber of Commerce a=
nd
the Occupancy Tax. He reviewe=
d handouts
showing examples of the materials available through the Chamber. He thanked Chair Ken Richardson and
Mayor John Miller for their work on the 150th anniversary
activities. He talked about h=
ow tourism
impacts Alleghany
County, types of
brochures available, how the brochures are distributed, advertising, number=
/types
of visitors, Mountain Heritage Festival, occupancy tax income, ASK ME campa=
ign
and staffing at the Chamber office.
He discussed their goals/focus for the upcoming year.
=
Commissioner Doug
Murphy and Bob Bamberg
discussed the possibility of the Chamber using billboards for advertising.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> They further discussed driving loo=
ps for
motorcycles but not a printed bicycle loop.
=
Bob Bamberg thanked the Board.
=
The
Board thanked Bob Bamberg.
=
County Manager
Don Adams talked about the Pla=
nning
Board appointment and reminded everyone that he provided applications at the
last meeting for Bill Brooks and Nancy Wilson.
=
Commissioner
Milly Richardson made a motion=
to
approve Bill Brooks to serve on the Planning Board. Commissioner Steve Roten seconded =
the
motion. Vote 5:0. =
=
County Manager
Don Adams provided handouts to=
the
Board about the metal bids and the interior bids for the EMS
building. He stated that the =
County
received two metal bids; Caldwell Construction and Frank Dillard & Sons
with Frank Dillard winning the bid by $165. He explained that everyone stayed =
after
the opening to make sure the bids were comparing apples to apples since the
bids were so close. He talked=
about
the bid specs showed the metal bids would be awarded tonight. He explained that the insurance wi=
ll
reimburse the County $62,194.96 leaving $13,602.88 as an additional expense=
to
the County. He reviewed the
additional costs; cost of two additional sides of metal, raising the vehicle
bay area by two feet, reframing the garage door openings and increasing the
garage doors size. He explain=
ed the
bids did not include safety sensors or garage door openers, which will cost=
an
additional $840. He stated th=
at
Frank Dillard has offered to pay the County $1,000 to keep the removed
metal. He reviewed the amount=
of
the last metal load, $1,041 after the transportation costs were removed. He stated that he is recommending =
the
County accept the $1,000 offer, order the safety sensors and garage door
openers. He talked to the Boa=
rd
about the color of the building hasn’t been decided yet but are looki=
ng
at gray or tan.
=
Commissioner
Doug Murphy made a motion to a=
pprove
the recommendation of the $1,000 for the metal, order the sensors and opene=
rs
plus award the metal bid to Frank Dillard & Sons. Commissioner Milly
Richardson seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
County Manager
Don Adams explained that he op=
ened interior
bids last Friday and is not scheduled to be awarded until October 19. He talked about Frank Dillard &=
; Sons
was the low bidder, low bidder on Fire Alarm system, asbestos testing expen=
se
and keeping the fixtures and cabinets out of the bid specs. He explained that he will have the=
exact
numbers at the next meeting. =
He
stated that the work will go to local people. He reviewed the total estimated co=
sts
for the interior of $162,056.30 with the initial insurance estimate being
$118,133.65. He explained tha=
t the
contractor and subcontractors are meeting tomorrow at 9:30am with the insurance company to t=
alk
about things like the asbestos materials, electrical upgrades, HVAC. He said that they have to bring it=
up to
code if it was already there. He
further said that the Board could award the bid for Frank Dillard & Sons
and the fire alarm system tonight while waiting on the other information un=
til the
next meeting.
=
Commissioner
Randy Miller made a motion to table this discussion until the next meeting.=
Commissioner Milly
Richardson seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
County Manager
Don Adams stated that one of t=
he pressing
matters is the color of the metal and why the color needs to be decided bef=
ore
the next meeting. He talked a=
bout
the time completion dates from Frank Dillard on the metal and the interior.=
=
Commissioner
Milly Richardson and County Ma=
nager Don Adams talked about all of Frank Dillard=
217;s
subs are local with the exception of the asbestos people. He asked about the colors of the
building; tan or light gray.
=
The
Board stated they didn’t have a problem with those colors.=
=
County
Manager Don Adams reviewed han=
douts
for the 911 contract: $209,470.31 with annual maintenance costs of $3,844.68
the first year then $7,686 for years 2-5; Southern Software $30,890 with th=
e maintenance
agreement the second year being $16,770 and third year being $17,273. He explained that Southern Softwar=
e is
the CAD and Mapping systems. =
He
talked about the costs for the 911 upgrade; System is $201,720.44 and NetCl=
ock is
$7,749.87, which isn’t an allowable 911 cost so the $7,749.87 will ha=
ve
to be paid for with General Fund monies.
=
Commissioner
Doug Murphy made a motion to a=
pprove
the Southern Software bid.
Commissioner Milly Richardson
seconded the motion.
County Manager Don Adams explained that they brought in two o=
ther
companies to price this equipment. <=
/span>
=
Commissioner Doug Murphy and County Manager Don Adams discussed the amount of saving by go=
ing
with Southern Software.
=
The Board voted on
the motion on the floor. Vote=
5:0.
=
Commissioner
Steve Roten made a motion accepting the proposal from Embarq. Commissioner Milly
Richardson seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
County Manager
Don Adams explained that the C=
herry
Lane Volunteer Fire Department is requesting that Mark Miles be appointed to
the Local Firefighters Relief Fund Board. He further explained that Mark Mi=
les is
replacing Russell Shaw.
=
Commissioner
Milly Richardson made a motion=
to
approve the request. Commissi=
oner
Randy Miller seconded the motion.
Vote 5:0.
=
County Manager
Don Adams discussed lists of i=
tems that
need to be declared surplus. =
He
explained that the Sheriff wants to hold a surplus sale, and the County wil=
l be
selling three vehicles.
=
Commissioner
Milly Richardson made a motion to declare the items surplus. Commissioner Steve Roten seconded =
the
motion. Vote 5:0. =
=
County Manager
Don Adams stated that the surp=
lus
sale will be on November 14 at 10:00am
at the Law Enforcement Center<=
/st1:PlaceType>.
=
Commissioner
Randy Miller made a motion to approve the resolution regarding the surplus =
sale. Commissioner Milly
Richardson seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
County Manager
Don Adams discussed the USDA l=
etter
of conditions and a Count=
y
Commissioners resol=
ution
that establishes conditions which must be understood and agreed to by the B=
oard
before further consideration may be given to the application. He explained =
that
this may be completed on the basis of a loan not to exceed $335,755, a grant
not to exceed $190,000 and an applicant contribution of $125,000 for a total
project cost of $650,755. He
pointed out that this loan is for a period of 40 years unless the Board dec=
ides
to pay it off early. He state=
d that
as of October 1 the interest rate is 4.25%. He reminded the Board that he has =
set
aside $50,000 towards the renovations of the house. He explained why it was better to =
leave
the house out of the grant through USDA.&n=
bsp;
He further explained that if the Board approves the Letter of Condit=
ions
and Resolution that allows the County
Manager and Clerk t=
o sign
the documentation for the grant. He
stated that the project start date is spring.
=
Chair
Ken Richardson reiterated that this is for a new training facility on the
fairgrounds property.
=
County Manager
Don Adams described the traini=
ng
facility.
=
Commissioner
Milly Richardson talked about =
during
the needs assessment, this training facility was top priority for the fire
departments.
Commissioner Milly
Richardson made a motion to approve the County Commissioner=
s
resolution. Commissioner Doug Murphy seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
County Manager Don Adams explained a letter from Bryan Edwards talking about a site for a 250,0=
00
gallon water tank at the fairgrounds.
He talked about the location of the 100 x 100 tank site and the 12-f=
oot
easement. He further talked a=
bout
the current well site that will be provided to the County for use at the
training facility. He explain=
ed
that he has requested that the Town make it part of their records that they=
will
give the County the well site once the Town is not using it.
=
Commissioner Milly Richardson made a motion to approve the
request. Commissioner Randy M=
iller
seconded the motion. Vote 5:0=
.
=
Commissioner Milly Richardson noted that the County Manager
has gone to great length for the water and the training site which would no=
t be
a possibility without his work on this project.
=
County Manager Don Adams received news from PARTF that the Co=
unty
did not receive funding for the soccer fields on the Sparta Parkway. He explained that the next grant
application is due February 1. He
stated that everything is in place to reapply. He asked does the Board want him t=
o reapply. He explained that he sat down with=
our regional
consultant to discuss the grant and learned of ways to strengthen the
application.
=
Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to reapply for the grant. Commissioner Doug
Murphy seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
=
County
Manager Don
Adams provided a QSCB update that =
Alleghany County
has been allocated $3,339,585.53, which is $140,415 less than the amount ne=
eded. He explained that if the County ca=
n find
a bank, then the $140,000 would have to come from a regular loan.
=
Commissioner Doug Murphy asked if we are still working on t=
he
water/sewer.
=
County Manager Don Adams agreed and stated that currently the
water/sewer costs are $800,000 including the land purchase and the maximum
grant award is $500,000, at this point.&nb=
sp;
He explained that the $440,000 would have to be borrowed under tradi=
tional
ways. He further explained th=
at
currently there are no banks that are willing to provide these no interest
loans, and the Local Government Commission is not aware of any applications
coming in for QSCB. He reviewed that the current law states that the monies
have to be spent by December
31, 2009, or the monies revert back. He said that the Department of Pub=
lic
Instruction is meeting tomorrow about this topic. He further said that they are thin=
king
that there may have to be another committee meeting as the information star=
ts
coming in. He updated the Boa=
rd
that they began the test well, getting 35 to 50 gallons a minute and is sta=
rting
the 24-hour test tomorrow. He
stated that Larry Davis, the Health Department and himself will be on the 8
acres on Wednesday to dig the test pits to see if it is suitable for the se=
wer.
=
Commissioner Steve
Roten and County Manager Don Adams
talked about the test well is 480-feet deep.
=
Commissioner Milly Richardson and County Manager Don Adams talked about the QSCB funds is a fed=
eral
program administered by the State.
She asked about contacting Congressman Burr and Representative Foxx.=
=
Chair Ken Richard=
son stated
that they were emailed immediately and have heard back from Congressman Bur=
r’s
office.
=
County Manager Don Adams talked about the tax credits is wher=
e the
problem is but he has some leads. He stated that he talked to a bank that h=
as
hit their limit for 2009 but January 1, 2010, they will be back in the market for=
the
tax credits and the State has to allow the monies to be rolled over so the
County can use that bank.
=
=
County
Manager Don
Adams presented the Rural Center Commitment of Other Funds
Application Form to apply for a minimum of $500,000 of the $800,000 project
with a local match of $300,000 to the Rural Center
for the water/sewer project. =
He
stated that the application is due on October 15.
=
Commissioner Milly Richardson made a motion to approve the
Application Form. Commissione=
r Doug Murphy seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
=
County
Manager Don
Adams provided an update on the ARRA monies through the
Department of Transportation (DOT) for Alleghany=
County projects; repaying Highwa=
y 93
to the Virginia
state line and paving from Osborne
Road to Tayson
Road on 18.&n=
bsp;
He talked about the original project was to add a lane and realign t=
he
intersection. He further talk=
ed
about the deadline is to start by March, and DOT didn’t think the rig=
ht
of ways for the alignment would be completed to meet the deadlines.
=
Commissioner Doug Murphy asked if the County has any inform=
ation
on the jail study. County Manager
Don Adams stated that he
hasn’t heard anything.
=
Chair Ken Richard=
son mentioned
that the County is contracted to take some Wilkes County
inmates.
=
Chair Ken Richard=
son
talked about senior citizens day and Doughton Day having a good turn out for
both events. He thanked every=
one that
was involved with Doughton Day and the activities. He talked about the Lieutenant Gov=
ernor
came to town for the parade and wanted to thank him for coming to be part of
the Sesquicentennial activities.
=
Commissioner Randy
Miller made a motion to enter into closed session at 7:50pm under NCGS 143-318.11 (a)
(6)—personnel. Commissi=
oner Milly Richardson seconded the motion. Vote 5:0.
=
Commissioner Doug Murphy made a motion to adjourn closed se=
ssion
at 8:18pm and re=
convene
the regular meeting. Commissi=
oner
Randy Miller seconded the motion.
Vote 5:0.
=
Chair Ken Richard=
son
stated that no decisions were made during closed session.=
=
Being
no further business, Commissioner Milly
Richardson made a motion to adjourn at 8:20pm.
Commissioner Doug Murphy seconded
the motion. Vote 5:0.
Respectfully
submitted, &nb=
sp;
=
=
Karen Evans &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p;
Clerk to the Boar=
d &=
nbsp;
=
Attest:
=
=
Ken Richardson
Chairman