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By Scott Nicholson
Emergency communications were on call during Tuesday night’s
meeting of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners.
Frank Aldridge, safety officer for the Foscoe Fire Department,
discussed departmental ratings and said his department’s
rating, which affects fire-insurance rates for homeowners, was
probably rising. However, he said the county needed a central
dispatch system and more dispatchers.
He added, based on 2005 calls, the emergency dispatch office
was required to have two dispatchers on call at all times, and
in 2008 that number rose to four, but usually there were only
two on duty at a time. Aldridge said it was a hazard and liability
to not have enough dispatchers on duty.
Aldridge said there were 13,149 calls made through the emergency
911 number last year. “That’s 36 calls a day,”
Aldridge said, with the office also receiving 89,000 non-emergency
calls, or 246 a day, which added more duties to dispatchers.
He outlined several recent incidents when there were numerous
agencies making calls at the same time.
“That’s 33 people or more talking at one time,”
Aldridge said, recommending the county take the emergency dispatch
out of the Sheriff’s Office and consolidating dispatches
into a single department, as well as hiring more dispatchers.
Aldridge said while Boone and Blowing Rock were doing well with
their dispatches, the county agencies were “falling behind.”
Commissioners board chairman Jim Deal said the county couldn’t
dictate a single dispatch for the entire county and its municipalities,
but said such an action would create more efficiency and allow
pooling of resources. Deal said the county would have to figure
out what services were needed and how to pay for them.
Commissioner Winston Kinsey said the issue had been discussed
for years, adding Boone and Blowing Rock probably had six dispatchers
each.
Aldridge said better dispatch would raise the department’s
rating, which would lower fire-insurance rates in rural districts.
“We’ve got to get the county’s dispatch up to
par,” Aldridge said.
The county has 10 dispatchers on staff, working three daily
shifts at a cost of about $440,000 a year, and county manager
Rocky Nelson said doubling the number of dispatchers would create
a significant budget burden.
Deal said a central dispatch would likely happen one day, but
said there would be more steps along the way and, as a taxpayer,
he wished for more efficient use of his money. He said attempts
to discuss a central dispatch between Boone, Blowing Rock and
Watauga County had been unsuccessful.
Boone Bypass
The commissioners also discussed the proposed Boone bypass,
with the North Carolina Department of Transportation asking
local governments to select the preferred alternatives of the
five currently proposed. The commissioners yielded to the town
of Boone’s pending choice, saying the route would affect
Boone business owners whom the town council represents. The
project is currently unfunded.
Affordable Housing
In other business, the commissioners approved the establishment
of a non-profit entity to operate the county’s affordable-housing
effort. The Watauga Community Housing Trust would be the property
owner of any county-supported housing project. The commissioners’
initial goal is to develop town homes on county-owned property
on Brookshire Road in Boone.
Biofuels
Jeremy Ferrell, representing High Country Biofuels Cooperative,
presented a request to use a third of an acre of property at
the former county landfill. The cooperative is a non-profit
corporation hoping to construct its own fuel distribution and
processing center for vegetable-based fuels.
Ferrell said the cooperative planned to distribute 500 gallons
of biodiesel a week, with the fuel processed from waste vegetable
oil. Ferrell added, he was familiar with the county’s discussions
to use landfill space for alternative-energy research and production.
County administration recommended legal consultation to stipulate
responsibility for permits, water service, and insurance or
bond in the event of a spill. The commissioners expressed support
for the project and approved it by consensus, contingent upon
legal review.
Methane-to-electricity
Watauga County sanitation director Lisa Doty sought approval
to pursue a state grant for $361,594 to purchase a methane-to-electricity
generating system. Doty said the project was “shovel ready”
and appeared to be eligible for federal stimulus money. The
commissioners approved the grant request.
An active landfill-gas collection system was installed in 2005,
with 22 wells, an underground collection system, and burner
flares to vent methane gas created through decomposition of
buried solid waste.
Soccer Complex
The commissioners discussed a request for town of Boone
water at the Ted Mackeroll Soccer Complex, which was developed
through a public-private partnership involving the High Country
Soccer Association, Watauga County and Appalachian State University.
Nelson said additions to the complex, including restrooms and
showers for park users and ASU soccer players, would increase
the cost of an on-site pressurized system with a well. He said
the cost to install water lines would be about the same as the
pressurized system and would allow for future expansion. The
county will present the water request to the Boone Town Council
on March 19.
Substance-abuse Treatment
Mike Vannoy gave an update on the Criminal Justice Partnership
Program, operated through New River Behavioral HealthCare. He
submitted a grant-application request for $62,997 that would
require no county match.
Vannoy said the grant, if approved, would allow a substance-abuse
treatment program for court-adjudicated youths. He said the
partnership has a successful completion rate of 65 percent,
which was higher than usual. The commissioners also renewed
a contract with New River to continue operating the partnership.
Other Business
Tax administrator Kelvin Byrd presented tax liens for delinquent
tax payments, with unpaid liens scheduled to be publicly released
on April 21.
The commissioners endorsed a High Country Regional Trail Plan
compiled by the High Country Council of Governments, seeking
to link local greenways, national park trails and public trails
as a joined network. The plan was developed by national and
state park officials, non-profit trail organizations, land trusts
and local governments.
The commissioners appointed Rob Holton and Mike Hall to the
Watauga County Tourism Development Authority for three-year
terms. Charles Anderson was appointed to the Boone Rural Fire
Protection Service District.
The commissioners’ next scheduled meeting will be at 9
a.m. on April 6 at the Watauga County Administrative Complex
in Boone.
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