DOBSON — The Surry County Board of Commissioners has given its approval for a grant application seeking funds to repair river erosion damage close to Prison Camp Road.
County Manager Chris Knopf said Tony Davis, director of the Surry Soil and Water Conservation District, has been working on the problem on Fisher River, close to Hope Valley and Fisher River Park.
If there are grants that department heads can seek, Knopf can give his approval up to $100,00, then the issue must come before the board at its next meeting.
However, in this case, Knopf said, “I signed the required documentation on June 18 for the request and allocation. … I deemed this an emergency request due to a June 30 deadline for the paperwork to be submitted. These state and federal funds do not require a match of local dollars.”
Also, Knopf added, it wouldn’t take much more than another hard storm or two to cause a big problem.
“The erosion is in the immediate vicinity of Fisher River Park, impacts another private landowner and appears to be within the public NCDOT road right-of-way,” he told the commissioners.
Even though Knopf gave emergency approval to apply for the grant, the county manager reminded the board that if it didn’t approve, the application could be withdrawn or any grant approved could be turned down.
Knopf said thanks go to Tony Davis for working on this problem and “coordinating with the private landowner, who has also signed off on the repair work to be performed.”
Commissioner Bill Goins made the motion to approve the grant application, and Commissioner Eddie Harris seconded.
It looks like there were too many trees removed in that area creating Fisher River Park, stated Commissioner Van Tucker stated. That whole section of road could wash away one day.
COVID-19 aid
As part of the larger package of funding available to battle the pandemic, an officer with the Surry County EMS worked to get the county a Tele-Work Plan Performance Grant of about $12,700.
Myron Waddell, the assistant director under John Shelton, retired at the end of the fiscal year on June 30. Before then, he had coordinated with state officials to get funds that would allow members of the EMS to work remotely from home if necessary by procuring new equipment, including the purchase of new laptops.
Since Waddell’s time ran out before the grant could be finalized, Knopf and Rhonda Nixon, the finance officer, worked to complete the application and how the funds would be spent.
Knopf said that Shelton will get a new laptop for himself and six members of his staff with the $12,695 amount.
The grant does call for a 50/50 match from the county, noted Knopf. However, instead of putting up $12,700 in cash, the county can use an “in-kind” match, meaning any additional resources or man-hours dedicated to handling the coronavirus outbreak locally.
After hearing all the details of the plan, the county board approved the grant and the new laptops.
State aid
Earlier this year, the N.C. General Assembly approved a coronavirus relief fund that brought $1.4 million to Surry County.
Knopf told the board this week that another $150 million had been approved for distribution. Surry County’s allotment will be $1.39 million, with a quarter of that to be shared with the four municipalities based on their population.
These funds could be used for either EMS or law enforcement needs, explained the county manager. However, the county can’t double-dip with the same agency.
He said that there are some other funds available to help the EMS (similar to the laptop funding), so it would be best to let this money go toward covering law enforcement salaries for the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments.
Including the $1.4 million from the first round of funding, too, Knopf said the tallies would look like this:
— $416,341 for the Mount Airy Police Department
— $161,115 for the Elkin P.D.
— $64,190 for the Dobson P.D.
— $61,127 for Pilot Mountain P.D.
Other breakdowns in Knopf’s figures included $370,000 for mass testing, $15,000 for masks, $34,000 for protective gear, $15,000 for the detention center’s disinfectant needs, $30,000 for disinfectant sprayers to spray large public areas, and $50,000 for paid leave for any employees who might get sick.
Knopf also set aside $50,000 to help nursing homes and $33,000 to help the “vulnerable population” such as meal deliveries for shut-ins and mitigating COVID-19 for the homeless.
Lot sells
In April the county received an offer for a piece of property in Flat Rock. After some back-and-forth upset bids, the county has closed the deal for three times the first offer.
Don Mitchell, who was about to retire as county facilities director, told the commissioners he had received a bid of just $1,000 for a lot of foreclosed property at 120 Crosswinds Lane, off McBride Road.
The tax value of the land is $10,000, but there is a frame of a burned mobile home on the lot that would have to be removed, which had made selling the land difficult, Mitchell explained.
“If someone were to buy this and clean it up, it would be a plus for Surry County,” Chairman Larry Johnson said in April. And since it would be subject to upset bids, the county might get a better offer.
Knopf said that is what happened as the bidding went back and forth in small increments until it stopped at $3,000.
The county board accepted that bid amount.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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