Board to approve call center design
By Steve Herring
Published in News on March 6, 2017 9:57 AM
The final design for a new $3.8 million 911 call center could be approved by Wayne County commissioners when they meet Tuesday morning.
The board approved the schematic design last month, but wanted more information on cost associated with different levels of wind speed protection.
The meeting will get underway 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.
The board has three options.
The first is to design the call center to withstand winds of 110 mph, the minimum required by state building codes. The second is 130 mph and the third is the Federal Emergency Management Agency's recommendation of 200 mph.
Building the call center facility to the 130 mph standard would add $178,200 to the cost while the 200 mph standard would add $237,600.
"The (facilities) committee felt that we would be safe using the 130 mph standard, as short of a direct hit from a tornado, it should withstand anything we were likely to experience," County Manager George Wood said in a memo to commissioners. "Consequently, the committee recommended unanimously that the board of commissioners approve a wind speed design standard of 130 mph."
Commissioners plan to pay cash for the call center to be located on an 18.7-acre vacant lot between the county Facilities Services Office and the animal shelter.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners will consider declining the county's right of refusal for the old Carver High School property in Mount Olive and to endorse the Board of Education deeding it to the town.Commissioners toured the property several months ago.
It is owned by the board of education and leased to the town for recreational and other activities.
Mount Olive town officials have expressed an interest in acquiring the property to continue its use and to prepare it as an emergency shelter.
"That would give us a shelter south of the Neuse River that did not disrupt school attendance," Wood wrote in a memo to commissioners. "I have talked to (Wayne County Public Schools Superintendent) Dr. (Michael) Dunsmore, and the Board of Education is prepared to deed the property over to the town of Mount Olive.
"As you know, the county has the right of first refusal on the disposal of any school property. We have no need for the property, and the town needs it for its recreation and after-school programming, as well as for an emergency shelter. Given that, I recommend that you decline to exercise your right of first refusal, and endorse the Board of Education's deeding it to the town of Mount Olive."
A public hearing will be held at 9:15 a.m. on adoption of a resolution approving a county economic incentive for Chase Farms Processing for a new wastewater treatment plant. Only tax money paid in by a company is used for the grant it receives.
The company pays its property taxes, and the county in turn refunds a portion of those taxes to the company dependent on the company completing its project within two years once under way and creating the promised number of jobs and investment.
In other business Tuesday, commissioners will consider motions to:
* Adopt a resolution declaring the board's intent to reimburse county expenditures for sewer improvements for public schools from the proceeds of tax-exempt financing. This is a common practice. The county can pay for initial work on a project, and once the financing is in place reimburse itself for that cost.
* Approve selling surplus property at 103 S. Slocumb St. jointly owned with the city of Goldsboro. The action has been requested by the city.
* Approve giving the city jointly owned surplus property at 204 E. Elm St. The city made the request.
* Declaring real property as surplus and authorizing its sale. The county acquired the property because of foreclosures for failure to pay taxes. The properties are located in Goldsboro, Fremont, Mount Olive and in the county.
* Extension Service Director Kevin Johnson and J.R. and Emily Odom of Odom Farms will make a presentation on the "We Dig It Ag Day" to be held at Odom Farm.
Public comments will start at 9:05 p.m. Speakers will have four minutes to comment on their topic of choice.