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By Scott Nicholson
During the same Tuesday meeting in which the Watauga County
Board of Commissioners moved forward on a $70 million financing
plan for a new high school, they faced another $82,3888 in permitting
fees.
The commissioners had earlier approved $42,000 for the facility’s
building permit from the town of Boone. The other required town
permits include an additional $3,255 in permits for related support
buildings, $2,854 in fire inspection fees and $76,279 in water
availability fees. The Boone Town Council denied waiver of the
fees last week, though Watauga County’s attorneys believed
the town had the right to waive the fees. The commissioners will
address the fees during their next meeting on March 3.
The commissioners also received the deed for the current high
school property from the school board, which will lease the property
back for $1 a year. The property contains seven different parcels,
and the county plans to sell the property once the new high school
is open in 2010.
Hospitality House director Lynne Mason asked the commissioners
for permission to apply for a $1.1 million grant for a new homeless
shelter. The county last month donated nearly two acres in the
Bamboo area for the project, and the Hospitality House will sell
three downtown facilities to help pay for construction. Mason
said plans for the facility had grown to 18,000 square feet from
the original 10,000 square feet. Mason said the project budget
was $4.5 million, including construction, site preparation and
furnishings. The commissioners approved the grant application
for federal community block funds.
Kathy Parham, director of the Children’s Playhouse of Boone,
noted the board’s support of the high school and said the
seeds of success in education and life started well before children
entered the school system. She said the Children’s Council
had provided $10,000 a year for parent-support services and asked
the county to boost its $2,500 annual contribution to $12,500.
Parham said 90 percent of the members are from the county and
the playhouse offers monthly parenting classes. She said 25 percent
of the participating families received scholarships based on a
sliding-income scale.
Architect Bill Dixon gave an update on the construction of a courthouse
parking lot and said the lot would be usable in three weeks, though
paving would take place later in the spring. The 32-space lot
is at the intersections of Queen and Water Street on the site
of the former law enforcement center.
The commissioners reviewed a letter asking state representatives
to change the state statute regarding 53-foot tractor trailers.
Planning director Joe Furman said the state statute was at least
20 years old and the current trucking standard was 53-foot trailers.
The Economic Development Commission presented the letter, and
Furman said there was a fine involved with using such trailers
unless the trucker had a special permit.
Commission chairman Jim Deal said the issue had first come up
in 2005 because local businesses needed the law changed and the
county had several trucking companies in operation. Deal said
companies had to use the trucks and risk getting a ticket, calling
it a “serious issue.”
Commissioner Mary Moretz said she couldn’t support the move
because “safety is an enormous issue,” and there were
13 truck incidents on U.S. 421 over a three-year period. A letter
from a state traffic engineer said 11 of the incidents involved
truck speeds and brake failures, with eight involving 53-foot
trailers. She said while she supported economic development, she
believed safety was more important.
The 2005 letter encouraged the North Carolina Highway Patrol to
enforce dimension standards on trucks and write citations when
such trucks were on unauthorized roads. Commissioner John Cooper
said the proposed change would allow such trailers only on the
roads built to federal specifications and didn’t mean that
53-foot trailers would be used on every road in the county. The
commissioners approved sending the letter to state representatives
by a 4-1 vote, with Moretz opposing.
The commissioners voted to waive tipping fees for demolition at
the Horn in the West grounds in Boone, which will be undergoing
renovation. County manager Rocky Nelson estimated the fees would
be between $450 and $900 for 2008.
The Watauga County Emergency Management Services advisory committee
requested consolidation of E-911 dispatch be placed on the agenda
for the next joint meeting of the county, the towns of Boone and
Blowing Rock and Appalachian State University. The committee supports
a consolidated dispatch, which is used in 52 of the state’s
100 counties.
The commissioners appointed William P. Aceto as the alternate
extraterritorial jurisdiction representative on the Boone Board
of Adjustment, Jim Bryan to the Farmland Preservation Advisory
Board, Wendell Ellis to the Watauga County Recreation Commission,
and Dave Robertson and Missy Harrill to the Tourism Development
Board.
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