By Erica Kearns
The Clay County Commission met Wednesday, July 8 at the Clay County Courthouse. With a handful of people in attendance, the meeting began promptly at 10:00 am. Commission President Greg Fitzwater led the meeting and commenced the approval of action items on the agenda. The first round of authorized items in the lineup included the minutes of the previous meeting, bills, purchase orders, erroneous assessments, refunds of assessments, real estate divisions and budget revisions.
Filbert Neal was appointed as administrator of the estate of Filbert D. Neal, deceased. The request of waiver of final settlement for the estates of Richard White and Deloris Faye Elories Sargent was approved. Also, the final settlement report for the estate of David Orders was accepted and Dottie Orders was discharged from her duties as executrix.
The commission voted to approve Resolution number 6 which authorized the payment of invoices related to design, construction and other services for the Pack Fork/Independence Road water line extension project. Terry Martin, of the RIC, was in attendance to give an updated on the project and stated that the engineers, Chapman Technical, are currently working on the project and it appears construction will begin in early 2016. If the ARC grants, the small cities block grants and assistance from the infrastructure council are all received as expected, the project will remain on track. As of now, around ninety-five of the 122 households in the area have agreed to connect to the proposed city water line.
Employment items followed on the agenda and began with the resignation of Walter Stutler from his duties as county dog catcher, effective June 30, 2015. The group awarded an increase in hourly pay for Owen Frye, Tina Ferrebee and Glenna Rose in response to their promotions to EMT-B employment status following a recent class.
Commission President Greg Fitzwater gave a brief committee report concerning recent meetings around the area, stating that the commissioners will meet with Braxton county officials in November to discuss the concept of sharing a Day Report Center. Also, the CAEZ meeting revealed that the proposed veneer business would not be locating in Roane County as proposed. EPA regulations caused the negotiations between the two parties to cease without a binding agreement. The apple orchard in Fola is still on track and an 8’ fence is being constructed to keep wildlife from consuming the fruit. Additionally, the JG Bradley Campground Lodge in Dundon is on track to open in September as construction continues.
The meeting adjourned after brief discussions. The group will meet again on Wednesday, July 22, 2015. The public is encouraged to attend.
