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MINUTES
WILKES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
FEBRUARY 2, 2010
The Wilkes County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 5:00 P. M. with the following members present: Chairman Zach Henderson, Vice Chairman Gary Blevins, Commissioner Keith Elmore, Commissioner Luther Parks, and Commissioner Charlie Sink.
Also present for the meeting were Tony Triplett, County Attorney; John Yates, County Manager; and Alene Faw, Clerk to the Board.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Zach Henderson who welcomed those in attendance.
INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance were led by Commissioner Luther Parks.
MINUTES - Motion was made by Commissioner Charlie Sink seconded by Commissioner Luther Parks and unanimously adopted to approve the Minutes of the Board Meeting held on January 19, 2010.
BUDGET AMENDMENTS - Motion was made by Vice Chairman Gary Blevins seconded by Commissioner Keith Elmore and unanimously adopted to approve Budget Amendments 33 (Health Department - Preparedness and Programs Salaries) and No. 34 (General Fund).
AMERICAN RED CROSS - Chairman Zach Henderson announced that on February 12, 2010 at 7:00 P. M. there will be a benefit concert presented by The Kruger Brothers and Doc Watson at The Stone Center for the Performing Arts. He stated this will be a benefit concert to obtain funds for help for the victims of the Haiti disaster and for relief for the people there that are in dire straits and suffering. Chairman Henderson stated this is for this community to be able to do something to help the Red Cross in its funding efforts to help those people. He encouraged everyone that can to attend that. He stated they will be able to donate monies at the door for Red Cross relief efforts. He stated any help that can be provided to the Red Cross is a very worthwhile cause. He wished the Red Cross well and stated he is looking forward to the good music.
FRIENDS OF THE LAKE UPDATE - Planning Director Eddie Barnes introduced Teresa Ford, Executive Director of Friends of the Lake, and Brad Cary. He stated he and Vice Chairman Gary Blevins discussed the Friends of the Lake and all the great efforts they have been doing around the reservoir and how it benefits all the citizens of Wilkes County. He stated he asked Ms. Ford to come and do a presentation of their efforts.
Ms. Ford stated she is honored to be here tonight. She stated Friends of the Lake started in 2005 at W. Kerr Scott as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. She stated they started as a small group. She stated at their first meeting a lot of the people that came thought it was a homeowners association and there was a little controversy. She stated she does not live on the Lake but is a steward of the land and feels like when she is outside digging in the dirt she is closer to God than anywhere else. She stated she told them if they were at the meeting for a homeowners association they needed to go home because that was not what they were there for but were there to be good stewards of what they have outside. Ms. Ford stated she grew up in this County and lives just on the other side in Yadkin County. She stated she can ride her bike to Wilkes County. She stated she graduated from North Wilkes High thirty some years ago. Ms. Ford stated she has been at the Dam for seven years. She stated when she came to W. Kerr Scott she came as a part time receptionist working for the contractor and then became a full time receptionist and then became the Executive Director of Friends of W. Kerr Scott. She stated she loves working with children and has worked with children and adults. She stated she believes in telling children and anyone that comes to the Lake they can dream and be anything they want to be. Ms. Ford stated they started as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and knew they had an entity they needed to save, preserve, and be a good steward of what they had. She stated they now have more than one hundred individuals representing all segments of the community including the State and all over the United States having joined this organization. Ms. Ford stated their mission statement is to protect, to preserve, beautify, and improve the natural resources and facilities of W. Kerr Scott Reservoir and the adjacent Yadkin River Basin by individual service and promoting community education and public awareness. She stated they also needed to make sure they formed a good Board that had a good overview. She stated they needed people that could get along with each other and they wanted people that could do different things. She stated they needed a grant writer that could write grants because they had zero dollars. She stated when they started out they wanted to make sure they did not overprice their membership because when clubs overprice their memberships in today’s economic times people cannot afford the membership. She stated they charge $25 for memberships but they also have donors that believed in them and gave them donations. She stated they have Board members, Friend members, and special guests. Ms. Ford stated Eileen Kerr is their grant writer. She stated they do fund raising and also Take a Kid Fishing. She stated that had been let go by the Army Corps of Engineers because of lack of funds and other things. She stated her dad took her fishing and she has a passion for fishing so they do the Take a Kid Fishing. She stated they charge nothing for that and have done that since 2006. She stated they have done seven of the Take a Kid Fishing where they provide fishing poles for kids that do not have fishing poles, provide bait, feed them hot dogs and chips, and give them a trophy. She stated they partner with the US Biological Fishery and Wildlife and also teach them water safety that they do not go near the water without a life jacket. She stated they have not had any drownings. Ms. Ford stated they also have people that live on the Lake that give the children boat rides. She stated these children would never get a boat ride if they did not offer this service. She stated they do not charge them anything. She stated they also offer this to handicapped children that would never be able to get a boat ride. Ms. Ford stated they are serving different things. She stated to see the smiles on children’s faces is priceless. She stated they want to make sure the importance of their organization never became about them but about giving back to the community. She stated sometimes non-profits get lost at what can they take and take and take and not give back to communities. She stated they will never make a profit in their non-profit but will always give back. She stated that is what their intention will always be. Ms. Ford stated when they started in 2006 they had five objectives to start with. She stated one of those was Terry Ramsey, Operations Manager, asked about completion of the amphitheater. She stated some of the donors to that project are sitting in this room tonight. She stated when Mr. Ramsey came to her the Army Corps of Engineers were broke and the amphitheater needed to be built for the Wilkes County Playmakers to have open by June 23, 2006 so they could do their outdoor play of Tom Dooley. She stated they got the amphitheater built and got the first grant from Lowe’s of $65,000 and they had never written a grant before. She stated from then on by wing and prayer they had the amphitheater open on June 23rd and raised over $350,000 to get it open with chairs, etc. She stated she is sure everyone here has been there at sometime to a concert. She stated it has provided an outdoor structure for concerts, Church reunions, festivals, corporate functions, and training. Ms. Ford stated one thing they are continually working on is the Environmental Educational Center. She stated they will never charge a child or an adult to come in the Environmental Educational Center. She stated the great beauty of that is it was the Corps Visitors Assistance Center basement and there is no overhead. She stated that was a storage area where everything was stored and now they have exhibits that are blocked off, a classroom that has a smart board with chairs, and it is in use right now. She stated they have public water running across the Dam for the bike races now and they do not have to bring in a water tank to use when they have those. She stated they have continued trail development and have partnerships they have developed between the Brushy Mountain Cyclist Club and other partnerships. She stated more partnerships strengthens the non-profits. She stated the more partnerships they can develop the stronger the non-profit will be. Ms. Ford stated they also finished development of the Water Fowl Habitat enhancement this year. She stated Mr. Cary checks on that continuously everyday and can answer any questions about that. Ms. Ford stated the Forest Edge Amphitheater was completed in 2006. She stated Tom Dooley had an attendance of 1,500+, they have had concert series, and every year they have the Forest Edge Education Camp that brings in 600 to 800 sixth graders. She stated they have had a Watercolor Art Camp for adults. She stated they had the Water Fowl Habitat improvement fund raiser there. Ms. Ford stated they have done these five objectives and have been hit with seven other objectives for the five they have already completed except for the EEC which they are about to finish by this year. She stated their projected goal date is September. She stated these have been funded and improvements to the trailhead have already been done. Ms. Ford stated development of the Regional Environmental Educational Center is her real passion. She stated this teaches principles of environmental education to students and youth through a laboratory. She stated this is hands on and they can know what it feels like to feel leaves, bark, dirt, and animals. She stated a Ranger will take them through these exhibits. She stated these things have been lost in this time frame because of all the tech gadgets they have or they do not want to go outdoors anymore. She stated there will be an outdoor classroom educational trail which they are working on right now to get trees ordered to bring in so they can walk through the trails. She stated her hope is to have a bridge they can walk across to go to the picnic area which is called Dam Site Picnic Area. Ms. Ford stated Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the construction are nearing completion and funded and the classroom and technology is done. She stated the outdoor native learning species trail is partially funded and the exhibit on habitat preservation and forestry exhibit is funded. She stated they will serve up to 10,000 public school students in Wilkes County, Yadkin County, and Watauga County. She stated they have 66,000 public school students in surrounding counties and another 10,000 students that attend summer camps and programs with organizations such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the YMCA, and 4-H. She stated this will be teaching youth early about conservation and the importance of a clean environment. She stated if we do not do this now there will be nothing left for the future for their children. Ms. Ford stated they have a collaboration of community partnerships. She stated they have volunteers they have that help them, the Friends Volunteers, the Brushy Mountain Cyclist Club, Hardees, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse, Holiday Inn, local musicians, the Chamber of Commerce, the Wilkes Heritage Museum, the Playmakers, Old Town Opry, and New Century Scholars. She stated the New Century Scholars are one of her favorites. She stated these kids come out with a dream and she likes to give them a dream. She stated she is working on the Boy Scouts. She stated she sees potential in them but some of them do not have the drive like they used to. She stated she was a Girl Scout but she cannot get the Girl Scouts to come out. She stated that is one group she wants to work on. Ms. Ford stated Sea Scouts is something new they started this year. She stated that is a level up from Boy Scouts. She stated they needed five kids to take on Sea Scouts. She stated they are going to teach them how to sail. Mr. Cary stated they will teach them how to sail, how to run a boat, how to build a boat, how to be safe on a boat, and will learn all the navigation rules. He stated there is a new rule that says if you are under age 26 you have to take classes before you can even drive a boat. He stated if people take these classes they can actually teach other people in the community these classes to take this test. He stated this is also a drive to get future leaders in the community. He stated this is a fun organization and not a community service organization. He stated they plan their trip, raise money for the trip, and go on the trip. He stated this is Navy based. He stated they will go to the coast and do things with the Coast Guard. He stated they hope to do a new race in the summer down the Yadkin to raise money for some of those activities. Ms. Ford stated Sea Scouts is co-ed ages fourteen to twenty-one. She stated usually this age group has nothing to do in this County. She stated they are going to work with the Eckerd Youth Foundation because they need work. She stated they are going to try to work with these kids to give them something positive to do. She stated they have females and males to work with these kids that maybe got started out on the wrong foot. She stated if they have somebody to work with them and something to do positive maybe that positive turn in their lives can help these kids. She stated everybody deserves a second chance. Ms. Ford stated they also have the Forestry Association, Rendezvous Mountain, and North Carolina Fish and Wildlife Association. She stated they also grant write all the time. She stated they are searching grants all the time. She stated Duke Energy gave them $11,000 for an exhibit, Golden Leaf has given them money, Blue Ridge National Heritage Association has given them money, Lowe’s has given them money, TDA has given them money, Urban Forestry and Community Development has given them money, the NC Civics Educational Consortium has given them money, and Wal-Mart has given them money. Ms. Ford stated their key component for Friends is being committed. She stated there are always going to be people that do not agree on seeing things the way you see them but she thinks you should be grateful for everyday your feet hit the floor because you are not guaranteed the next day. She stated they have Friends members who are grateful for the opportunity of living on the Lake. She stated there are days she is glad she can look at the Lake and be committed to being an environmental steward. Ms. Ford stated they have a good partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers. She stated building those partnerships makes them a stronger non-profit in the community and she cannot stress that enough. Ms. Ford stated last year they signed an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers to lease Bandits Roost for five years. She stated that means she will be in charge of the contractors for Bandits Roost which means they will bring money back into W. Kerr Scott at the Lake so the money will not go into the big black government hole and not come back to Wilkes County. She stated she will actually be paid out of that money. She stated 50% of the money will come back to Friends of the Lake and 50% will come to the Army Corps of Engineers. She stated the Army Corps of Engineers money will go back into W. Kerr Scott to help improve the Park wherever there is a need in the Park. She stated whatever else is needed, the operations manager will tell her and she will go to that need and take care of that. She stated they will never have a profit out of that. Ms. Ford stated they are the second in the United States to sign a lease in that form which is a great honor to have out of the Army Corps of Engineers. Ms. Ford stated there is a Savannah Park Ranger Conference and Friends of the Lake were asked in 2009 to host the Park Ranger Conference of the South Atlantic District Division. She stated they are hosting that conference next week. She stated they will sponsor that Savannah District Conference. Ms. Ford stated they were nominated for National Partnership of the United States of America, an excellent award, and they got word last Friday they won that award. She stated she has to fly out to San Diego on Sunday morning to receive the award from the United States Army on Monday morning and fly back Monday and drive to Savannah and take care of the obligation she made to the Savannah District to do the sponsorship and be back home Friday. Ms. Ford stated to have a dream and to see some of these dreams come true is a big honor. She stated they started with nothing and were in debt. She stated there were days she laid awake at night because they were in debt because they owed money for paving. She stated they got all of that paid off, are out of debt now and are doing good. She stated they have been blessed but they could not have made it without all the people that supported them in the community. She thanked the Board of Commissioners for what they have done. She stated she has seen many of them at gatherings they have. She stated her dream is to get the Environmental Educational Center open by September 1, 2010. Mr. Cary stated on the Ranger Conference that Friends of W. Kerr Scott Lake has been a representation across the nation and many projects are trying to form a similar relationship like that now in activities such as the Water Fowl Impoundment and doing the wetland restoration project like that is a huge feat. He stated this is an example across the whole world what community involvement can do.
Chairman Zach Henderson thanked Ms. Ford and Mr. Cary for coming and sharing this information with the Board. He congratulated them on their achievements and award. He told Ms. Ford he hopes she travels safety and it looks like she will be busy next week.
Vice Chairman Gary Blevins asked if Friends of the Lake have regularly scheduled meetings. Ms. Ford stated their next membership meeting is going to be February 16th at 6:00 P. M. at the Visitors Assistance Center and they will be voting in three new members on their Board.
Chairman Henderson wished Friends of the Lake good luck in the future and stated it sounds like they have a lot of good projects on the way.
TAX DEPARTMENT - PERMISSION TO ADVERTISE TAX LIENS - Tax Administrator Alex Hamilton stated pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 105-369, the Tax Collector shall report to the governing body the total amount of unpaid taxes for the current fiscal year that are liens on real property. He stated as of today a total of $4,090,240.00 remains uncollected which is a collected rate of 86.8%. He stated this is about in line with the past three years. He stated they are 3/10 of 1% behind 2007. Mr. Hamilton stated the governing body shall thereupon order the Tax Collector to advertise such liens. He stated anyone who has not paid their taxes will receive a notice, at least thirty days prior to the date of advertising, that taxes are owed and that they will be advertised if the taxes are not paid within that thirty day period. Mr. Hamilton stated they sent out letters last week for the debt set-off program and they combined the letters to try to save money telling people, subject to the Board’s approval in today’s meeting, the Tax Department will be advertising on March 26th. He requested permission to advertise these liens.
Commissioner Charlie Sink made a motion to approve advertising of tax liens as requested. The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Gary Blevins and unanimously approved.
TAX DEPARTMENT – LISTING RELEASES - Tax Administrator Alex Hamilton requested approval of the Board of Commissioners to make the tax releases before them.
Commissioner Luther Parks made a motion to approve the releases as requested. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Charlie Sink and unanimously approved.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT – ROAD NAME REQUEST - Chris Johnson, County Planner, stated the Planning Department has received a petition to name a private drive. He stated the name chosen is Leonard Lane located off NC Highway 16 North in Union Township. He stated the request meets all the requirements of the Wilkes County Road Naming Ordinance. Mr. Johnson stated as required by the Wilkes County Road Naming Ordinance a Public Hearing and a ten day notification period will be necessary.
Commissioner Charlie Sink made a motion to set a Public Hearing on February 16, 2010 at 6:55 P. M. on the road name request. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Luther Parks and unanimously approved.
NURSING HOME COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE - County Manager John Yates stated the term of appointment of Bill Dotson to the Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee will expire effective February 6, 2010. He stated Mr. Dotson has indicated his desire to be reappointed for an additional three year term.
Commissioner Charlie Sink made a motion to approve the appointment as requested. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Keith Elmore and unanimously approved.
CLOSED SESSION - Commissioner Luther Parks made a motion to go into Closed Session to consult with and give instructions to the County Attorney concerning a pending administrative action titled Tax Appeal of Louisiana Pacific; to consult with the County Attorney to protect the attorney-client privilege; and to discuss the location or expansion of business in Wilkes County. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Charlie Sink and unanimously approved.
Motion was made by Commissioner Charlie Sink seconded by Vice Chairman Gary Blevins and by unanimous vote adopted to adjourn back into regular session. No action was taken.
ADJOURN - Motion was made by Commissioner Charlie Sink seconded by Commissioner Luther Parks and by unanimous vote adopted to adjourn the meeting of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners at 6:35 P. M.
Alene E. Faw, Clerk Zach Henderson, Chairman
WILKES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Approved:
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