|
|
|
|
|
Office of the Board of Commissioners |
|
|
Summary October 20, 2008 |
|
The first meeting of the month will be videotaped and shown on the Government Access Channel (Channel 20) on the following Wednesday at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM following each meeting. The second meeting of the month will be videotaped and shown on the Government Access Channel (Channel 20) on Wednesday at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM following each meeting. Any questions? Please call Dorothy Toolan, Public Relations Coordinator, at 252-475-5903. The Dare County Board of Commissioners met in a regular session at 5:00 p.m. on October 20, 2008 in the Dare County Administrative Annex in Manteo. Commissioners present were: Chairman Warren Judge, Vice-Chairman Allen Burrus, Virginia Tillett, Richard Johnson, Max Dutton and Jack Shea. Commissioners absent were: Mike Johnson. Also present were County Manager Terry Wheeler and County Attorney Bobby Outten. The meeting opened with a moment of silent meditation followed by the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Chairman Judge announced that Commissioner Mike Johnson is absent in order to attend a meeting of the South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council to represent the county on an important matter. The Board voted to amend the agenda to remove Item 6 from this agenda. It will be rescheduled for a future Board agenda. ITEM 1 – PUBLIC COMMENTS 1. Gail Hutchison of Roanoke Island expressed concerns about the motorcycle track at the end of Holly Ridge Road near her home. She is looking for guidance and relief and reviewed how she and her husband have tried to address the issue up to this point. Ms. Hutchison’s comments are attached. 2. Brian Van Druten of Hatteras Island said he wanted to reiterate the e-mail that he sent the Board regarding the issue with dog hunters and trappers. He said there are areas for compromise so that everyone has a little piece of the pie and recommends that the Dare Bombing Range be closed to trapping from December 1 to January 1 to give dog hunters an area to run the dogs. If the remainder of the mainland is left open for trapping, landowners can decide what to allow on their property. He knows some fishermen use trapping for supplemental income and there is area for compromise on the issue. 3. Chuck Hester of Manteo thanked Commissioner Tillett and the County Manager for their help when his wife was traveling on a recent trip with the GEM Center. The GEM Center offers a great program and he hopes the program will continue to receive funding from the County. ITEM 2 – PROCLAMATION – NATIONAL ALZHEIMER’S MONTH Gail Sonnesso, Director of GEM Adult Day Services, Inc., presented information regarding the GEM program and reviewed upcoming events that will be offered to recognize National Alzheimer’s month. The planned events will offer support to individuals with the disease and their families. County Manager Terry Wheeler read the proclamation establishing November 2008 as National Alzheimer’s Month in Dare County and the Board adopted it unanimously. See the attached PowerPoint presentation for detailed information about the GEM program ITEM 3 – NORTH CAROLINA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER SERVICE Bonnie Bennett, Coordinator of the awards, and Brandi Rheubottom, Chair of the Selection Committee, presented awards to the five Dare County recipients of the NC Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service. The recipients of this honor were: Doris & Arthur Schultz, Fessenden Center volunteers; Katherine Spruill, Teen Court Volunteer; Karen Carr, Community Care Clinic of Dare volunteer; Tom & Linda Craney, Friends of Youth volunteers, and the Extension Master Gardener volunteers of Dare County. Mr. and Mrs. Schultz received the Medallion Award for Dare County and will attend a luncheon in Greensboro next month where they will be recognized. ITEM 4 – WAVES VILLAGE LLC GROUP DEVELOPMENT Donna Creef, Senior Planner, presented the Waves Village, LLC Group Development site plan and draft Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to the Board. The plan includes a four building group development containing watersports rentals for Kitty Hawk Kites, a restaurant, retail shops, and 18 multifamily housing units. Following the presentation and discussion about lighting and the wastewater system, Commissioners voted to approve the site plan and draft CUP for the Waves Village, LLC Group Development as recommended by the Planning Board. One condition was added to require a designated a staging area for parking on the site during construction. 5:30 P.M. – PUBLIC HEARING ITEM 5 – AMENDMENT TO 2008 INSTALLMENT FINANCING AT 5:30 P.M, THE DARE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD A PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE INPUT CONCERNING THE APPROVAL OF THE EXECUTION AND DELIVERY OF THE CONTRACT AND THE DEED OF TRUST AND THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPPING AND FURNISHING OF THE PROJECTS. There were no speakers. ITEM 6 – RECONSIDERATION OF TRAPPING ORDINANCE ADOPTED SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 The Board removed this item from the agenda and it will be placed on a future agenda for discussion. ITEM 7 – PUBLIC WORKS/CONTRACT WITH CDM FOR LANDFILL SERVICES AND AIRSPACE ANALYSIS Edward Mann, Public Works Director, presented a contract with CDM, an engineering firm, for permitting, construction, and monitoring of C& D Landfill Cell # 4. The approximate cost is $97,800. Commissioners approved the contract as presented. ITEM 8 – NAGS HEAD REQUEST FOR SHORELINE FUNDS County Attorney Bobby Outten presented a request from the Town of Nags Head to expend $2,500 from the Shoreline Management Fund in order to fund the costs for a presentation by Peter Ravella, Beach Nourishment and Beach Nourishment Financing Consultant. Commissioners voted to grant the expenditure from the Shoreline Management Fund in order to bring Mr. Ravella to the Outer Banks. ITEM 9 – COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLE ROANOKE ISLAND CAMPUS BIDS Lynn Bunch, President of COA, presented the bids for the College of the Albemarle Roanoke Island Campus Project. See attached bid tabulation sheet. She said the apparent low bidder is the Whiting Turner Company for a total of $5,359,200 with alternatives included. She said that while it appears the low bid will come in $1.4 million below budget, it does not include an asbestos abatement plan, a boat house, contingency and a few other projects that are greatly needed at COA. She said that an Allied Health Facility Lab is also needed so that nursing students can complete some of their work in Dare County. Discussion was held regarding the alarm system and the use of local contractors. The Board approved the award of bids for the project to the Whiting Turner Contracting Company in the amount of $5,359,200 on condition of reference checks and approval from the state construction office. The Board approved the total project budget of $7,856,448 which is $500,000 less than originally allocated. The County Manager will address tipping fees for the project. ITEM 10 – BUDGET ACTIONS FOR 2008 INSTALLMENT FINANCING AND RELATED PROJECTS David Clawson, Finance Director, appeared before the Board to request the adoption of the amendment to the capital project ordinance, the adoption of the budget amendment for the General Fund, and the approval of $50,000 for the covered drop-off for the Roanoke Island Senior Center. Projects included are the Roanoke Island Senior Center, College of the Albemarle Roanoke Island Campus, purchase of land in Rodanthe and 2008 Installment Financing. Commissioners adopted and approved the budget actions as presented by the Finance Director. ITEM 11 – RESOLUTION FOR INSTALLMENT FINANCING CONTRACT AND A DEED OF TRUST David Clawson, Finance Director, presented the Board with an installment financing contract and a deed of trust that was adopted on October 6, 2008 with an additional amount added to include the purchase of parcel number 012545000 in Rodanthe. Commissioners adopted the resolution as presented. ITEM 12 – BUDGET AMENDMENT – DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREVENTION PROJECT Trish Blackmon, Director of Clinical Services and Health Education for Dare County Department of Public Health, announced that the Department of Public Health had been awarded $380,000 for the state’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Project. She explained that funds would be used to implement evidence-based programs that will aid in addressing childhood obesity in Dare County. Commissioners approved the budget amendment to include the awarded amount. ITEM 13 – SKYCO WATER PLANT BUDGET AMENDMENT Ken Flatt, Director of the Water Department, requested that the Board amend the budget in order to fund the replacement of the Skyco Water Plant’s water filter’s organics removal media. The media will be replaced and a three month trial will take place to verify proper operation. If the trial is successful, the other four vessels’ media will be replaced. This project will also include upgrading the brine system to ensure the production of clean brine and the prevention of future contamination of the media. Commissioners voted to approve the budget amendment as presented. ITEM 14- RESOLUTION OPPOSING INSURANCE INDUSTRY REQUEST RATE INCREASE County Attorney Bobby Outten presented a resolution that was requested by the Board at the meeting on October 6, 2008. The resolution opposes the insurance industry’s request for a rate increase. He asked that the Board adopt the resolution given the difficult economic times our county and state are currently undergoing. Commissioners adopted the resolution as presented. ITEM 15 – RESOLUTION OPPOSING DOMINION POWER REQUEST FOR RATE INCREASE County Attorney Bobby Outten presented a second resolution that the Board requested at the last meeting. This resolution opposes Dominion Power’s request for a rate increase. Commissioners adopted the resolution as presented. ITEM 16 – UPDATE ON OREGON INLET BRIDGE Vice-Chairman Burrus offered the Board an update on the current status of the Oregon Inlet Bridge. He said that DOT Board member Stan White has been out of town and Ms. Kroll, Attorney for DOT, has assured him that things are on track. ITEM 17 – CONSENT AGENDA Commissioners approved the Consent Agenda containing the following items:
ITEM 18 – COMMISSIONERS’ BUSINESS 1. Commissioner Dutton – enjoyed the groundbreaking for the new Senior/Community Center. Thanked Commissioner Tillett for her efforts to get the building started. Congratulations to those who received awards for outstanding service. Very glad that the Board passed resolutions opposing rate increases. 2. Commissioner Tillett – Thanked Commissioners for their efforts and support for the Senior/Community Center. She asked for an explanation about the purchase of property in conjunction with the Town of Nags Head since she has received calls about it. The Chairman explained that the purchase of land in Nags Head was made by the Dare County Tourism Board in conjunction with the Town of Nags Head. The Board of Commissioners oversees the authorization of taxes that fund the Tourism Board and the Commissioners also appoint members to the Tourism Board. He explained how funding received by the Tourism Board is allocated and gave an overview of guidelines for various funds that have been established. The Board of Commissioners has to approve projects funded by the Tourism Board’s restricted funds and also the purchase or sale of any real property by the Tourism Board. Voting locations at several places have changed and the former locations need to have signs to keep citizens informed. Vice Chairman Burrus reviewed procedures that are used in this situation. Cars are being removed from people’s cars illegally and the Sheriff is dealing with the problem. Is there something that the Board can do? Thanked Mr. Judge for attending the dedication of the Pea Island Cook House and the committee that has worked on furnishings for the Senior Center. 3. Commissioner Richard Johnson – He has never been a patient person but when someone calls him to tell him something and he does not agree and then the person keeps telling him the same thing over and over, he will hang up the phone. He disagreed with the lady that spoke during public comments. There are neighbors in the area that support the kids riding their bikes. It was a place where his brother used to keep his equipment. He has been there a long time. 4. Vice-Chairman Burrus – Would like to tell about a day in Hatteras. Yesterday, there was sound tide with winds, then overwash in Rodanthe, and finally the Coast Guard made a rescue in Oregon Inlet. It was an interesting time. Thanks to the Coast Guard for their efforts. Shame on rental companies that have allowed renters to stay in homes that are in jeopardy at north end of Rodanthe. This also put emergency personnel at risk when rescues have to be made. The Board will have to determine when it ends. There is a point that begins to offset what is going on. Property management companies and owners need to do the right thing. He enjoyed the groundbreaking for the Senior/Community Center earlier today. Thanked the volunteers from Fessenden Center that received awards earlier today. Grants received by Health Department total over $500,000. Thanked Anne Thomas and the Health Department for their efforts. 5. Commissioner Shea – congratulated those receiving volunteer service awards today. So glad to see hopes and dreams of so many people realized as ground was broken for Senior/Community Center. Thanks to the GEM Center for the work that they do for Alzheimer’s patients. 6. Chairman Judge – A DOT hearing has been scheduled for Colington Road. He said there is much to be proud of in regard to the history of the Pea Island Cook House. He enjoyed attending the recent ceremony. The Board approved a Resolution in support of videotaping the negotiated rulemaking meetings ATTORNEY’S BUSINESS Probation and Parole will take a look at the current Planning Office in Buxton in hopes that they can establish office hours on Hatteras Island. He has been involved with negotiating the solid waste contract on behalf of the County in conjunction with the Albemarle Solid Waste Management Authority. This contract will come to the Board by the second meeting in November for formal approval. Rates have worked out fairly well and will remain similar to current rates. Term is for 26 years. MANAGER’S BUSINESS The EMS helicopter is down due to 6,000 hour required inspection. Parts are on order and EMS staff has called East Care in Greenville and they will keep a helicopter in Dare County tomorrow in case it is needed. ITEM 19 – CLOSED SESSION – APPROVAL OF MINUTES Pursuant to the provisions of NCGS 143-318.11, Commissioners voted to go into closed session to approve the minutes of the last closed session. After returning, Attorney Outten announced that the Board approved the closed session minutes from October 6, 2008 and took no other action. |