An unusually large crowd assembled Monday evening for the regularly scheduled meeting of the Surry County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners’ agenda included a recognition event for Surry County emergency services, a presentation from Mount Airy Mayor Ron Niland on the Spencer’s Mill project and a discussion on a potential new historical installation for the county.
Members of the Surry County emergency services ranging from paramedics to field training officers were brought before the board to be recognized for their “demonstration of high integrity and outstanding service” to the citizens of Surry County in saving lives.
“When I talk about our paramedics, we are very proud of them in Surry County,” Board Chair Mark Marion said. “I have said it before and I will say it again, when you call 911 in Surry County, you know the best is coming. You know they are on their way.”
Those recognized for their live saving efforts this year were:
Award for five saves: Scott Gambill, Katie Cooper, Mark Vogler, Chris Draughn, Heather Poindexter, Lane Bolatto, Ted Radford, Zach Murphy, Caysee Perkins, David Whitfield, Luke Stevens, Lakyn Booker, Taylor Dollyhigh, and Austin Holloway.
Award for ten saves: William Wall, Justin Jarrell, Castin Dickerson, Corey Carson, Chandler Bodenhamer, Andrew Casstevens, and Lance Earley.
Award for twenty five saves: Dale Harold and William Crigger.
In other Board of Commissioners news:
– The board heard a presentation from Foundations Forward: Charters of Freedom about a proposed location site for a new exhibit setting displaying the nation’s founding documents.
Ron Lewis began by explaining that a monument is something to memorialize what is no longer with us, and what Foundations Forward wants to do is display the still living documents of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights in free public forums in central locations that are that are easily accessible to all.
Lewis asked the board members who among them had been to the National Archives to see these documents and was pleased to see the board had. In his experience he has found most Americans have not had the chance to see the founding documents.
Having access to these documents will, Lewis said, add to the natural curiosity citizens have about them. Future field trips and guided talks based around the installation could provide even more chances to increase understanding and appreciation for the founders’ work.
Of special note to the board was that the foundation has funds to pay for the project with all private money. In exchange for in-kind services to get the project landed, the foundation would pay for the installation. The installations are already found in 25 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
The board voted unanimously to move forward with considering the Foundations Forward project.
– Mount Airy Mayor Ron Niland addressed the board to give an update on the Spencer’s Mill project. Niland said he is “excited” about the project and that there will be more to announce firmly in the early part of next year. What he could tell the board now was that there was an agreement in place with a national chain for the new hotel.
Eight hundred thousand dollars has been authorized for the design work for the new project, and Niland went on to say that there is even more interest in additional downtown development as Spencer’s Mill continues moving forward. At one time the potential financial benefit from the hotel and associated development were estimated at around $10-12 million, whereas now Niland sees potential “leveraged investments now totaling closer to $40 million.”
Mayor Niland gave an estimated construction start date of June 2022 and completion in December 2023 for the Spencer’s Mill project which, he said, would have investment from the city of Mount Airy totaling upward of $4.5 million.
– Surry County Department of Social Services asked for and received permission to reallocate funds it has on hand for a trial of new workflow management software. Daysheets are detailed timesheets describing how employees spend their time during the workday and help to correctly draw down funds from the federal or state government based on the work that the employee did. The new software will streamline processes and improve efficiency for the department in scheduling and maintenance of daysheets.
DSS Director Kristy Preston also gave the board an update on staffing levels for the agency’s child welfare program. She reports several new employees are moving through their state mandated training and then shadowing before being assigned caseloads. There are still four positions open, and Preston encouraged those with MSW, BSW or Bachelor of Science in Human Services credentials to apply.
– The board heard about redistricting that has happened in Surry County recently. The atate’s district lines for Surry County did not match the ones on file locally, so a correction was made. Only 1,230 voters were impacted, at around 600 unique addresses, by the change to the district lines. Those residents have already been notified of the change by mail.
This redistricting will correct the boundary line issues seen with the state but is not related to the district population imbalance that the board was made aware of recently.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com