CATCHING UP
CCC Meets
With most of the pews filled and all three elected up front, Clay County Commission met Wed morning Sept 11th at 10am. It was a mixed bag of goodies with much focus on our future. Here goes
Terry Martin, that’s the middle man that handles nearly all our grant tries, provided info on the long in the making, better DSL service in Clayberry, Calhoun, and Roane Counties. From Martin: when the new system gets up and running, it will be a wireless affair; he felt it might be successful; upwards of just 80% of County Clay will receive service when everything is said and done; somewhere around $1.8 million will be needed; and, the current three county working group will become part of regional conglomerate with Webster, Fayette, Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Wyoming, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, and Summers County. That larger group called Regional Optical Communications, Inc. (ROC). With Mr Martin’s recommendation, the CCC voted to join the large group.
Whether you think the new ERTS State Park will happen or not, according to the BDA Chair (in attendance), Clendenin is way ahead of us in planning. Down there and with the help of their county commission, an effort is being made to find a 30 acre plot of dirt to serve as a “destination center”.
Destination Center could be anything from a Welcome Center, amusement park, music pavilion or more.See what Clendenin is up to? Instead of us being the trail hub, they want the bucks coming their way. Commissioner Fran King, “We’ve got to grow business here.. coffee shops, sandwich places..”Another lady, “We have to create stuff to do here.”And finally from the BDA Chair, “The Park is giving people hope.”
Item 10 on the agenda was approving $15,000 for preliminary design of the Big Otter, Nebo, and Walker Road wawa line extension project.
For other thirsty Clayonians, first mention came of another extension project for the Harrison community. $50,000 will be needed for a feasibility study before anything else can get underway. Efforts are under way to secure the $50k.
Tidbits: Sept was designated as Child Cancer Awareness month; 911 dispatcher Victoria Brown was switched from part time to full time status; Kathryn Sizemore was hired as a part time worker at $10 per hour: and, a new local broadband committee was formed with Angela Brown, Barry McCune, Michael Shamblin, Jeff Hamrick, and Connie Kinder as members. The local group will participate with ROC, mentioned above.
During the last 20+ years, the County Commission has held secret huddles no more than a handful of times. At 10:33 Wed morning they went secret with the Sheriff.After the 28 meeting huddle, no decision was made with Commissioner Prez Fitz saying, they need more information before a decision can be made.
From the peanut gallery, two items emerged.
One guy asked the CCC to provided a letter of support for saving the old Swinging Bridge in Hartland. Many in the county consider the last remaining cable bridge of its type in the state to be a real tourism draw. After discussion of such a letter being sent a decade ago, CCC agreed to forward the new letter of support.
A second request came from the peanut gallery. This one was for the calling of an emergency meeting where the CCC would pen a declaration that the old span would be declared a historic structure. That request fell on deaf ears with the Prez saying they can’t call an emergency meeting for such an item.Hmmmm…. Sounds like BULLogna to us.
As a
note and as the meeting was adjourning, a rep from the CAEZ
invited all to attend an upcoming music show (see EVENTS page)
over at the Dundon Campground. The show is a fundraiser with
proceeds going toward building a stage / pavilion along
Buffalo Creek. The guy let the world know something
we’ve not heard before.
According to Gary Stuber,
the Dundon Campground / Lodge is a for profit organization.
For profit? That’s the other side of the fence from CAEZ which
operates as a non-profit agency. Interesting!
Shortly after 11 am, the meeting called it quits for another two weeks.AW
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Technical difficulties
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