911 center on county agenda
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 18, 2016 1:46 PM
Wayne County commissioners Tuesday morning will be asked to approve the findings of a study recommending that a new 911 center be built on an 18.7-acre vacant lot between the county Facilities Services Office and the animal shelter.
County Manager George Wood is scheduled to ask for that approval and for the board to authorize him to proceed with acquiring the full design for the center.
It would cost approximately $3.82 million.
The board is also scheduled to vote to accept a $25,000 donation from the Wayne County Livestock Development Corp. for the Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center.
A groundbreaking for the $18 million project was held Thursday. It is scheduled for completion by January 2018.
Tuesday's meeting will get under way with an agenda briefing at 8 a.m. followed by the formal session at 9 a.m.
Both will be held in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex.
Earlier this year the county hired Stewart, Cooper Newell Architects to do a study on five potential sites already owned by the county.
The options are:
* Renovate two buildings in front of the facilities office and possibly add on to the buildings.
* Renovate the facilities office and move that department elsewhere.
* Renovate the existing brick building at the communications tower site.
* Build a new building behind the animal shelter -- the recommended option.
* Build near the communications tower.
The 911 center has been an issue for some time following a study by consultants with Mission Critical on staffing and facility needs at the center.
The consultants recommended that the county either expand its current center or build a new one to add more telecommunicators to handle an increased volume of calls.
However, commissioners have said that renovation of the existing center is not feasible.
Once the new site is completed, the existing center will become a back-up site.
In other business, a public hearing will be held on the final assessment resolution for Canterbury Village and North Creek subdivision street assessments.
The county is using a state law that allows it to create a special service district for street repairs in subdivisions.
The work is designed to bring the streets and drainage in the two subdivisions up to a level acceptable to the state Department of Transportation so the streets can become a part of the state Secondary Highway System for ownership and maintenance.
Commissioners can have the work done and then pay for it by levying a special assessment against property owners in the subdivision.
The project has been ongoing for several months after being delayed by higher-than-expected project cost as estimated by the DOT.
Commissioners hired an outside engineer to perform core samplings on the streets the subdivisions.
The estimated project cost, including the engineer's estimated cost of repairs, legal advertisements, engineering fees and mailing costs is $2,199,456.
Based on 121 lots, each lot would be assessed approximately $18,177.32.
The final assessment will be determined after the actual bids are received and the work is completed.
Property owners would be allowed to pay the special assessment over a 10-year period at a 5 percent annual interest rate.
It can also be paid in a lump sum.
Also on the agenda Tuesday, commissioners will consider motions to approve:
* Hangar improvements at the Wayne Executive Jetport following the execution of a lease with UNC Carolina Air Care. UNC Health Care entered a management services agreement with Wayne Memorial Hospital last December. In February, UNC Health Care approached the county about basing one of its helicopter ambulances and a ground unit at the airport.
* A resolution to adopt the seventh amendment to the county's position and classification pay plan.
* Construction of a metal storage building at the Genoa sewer pump station
* Authorize Wood to amend the wastewater engineering contract with Municipal Engineering Services Co. for Grantham Middle School.
Also, Shelton Smith, the county's former facilities director, will present a book on the history of the courthouse bell to the board.
Public comments will be taken at 9:15 a.m. Speakers must sign up at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the 9 a.m. session.
Speakers who comment on agenda items will have four minutes. Those who comment on non-agenda items will have two minutes.
Consent agenda items include declaring 6.5 acres on county-owned property in Eureka as surplus and selling it under the upset-bid process with a minimum bid of $39,000 and budget amendments.