Board takes other actions

Published 8:35 pm Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Beaufort County Board of Commissioners took action on several items on its agenda at the board meeting Monday. In other action, the board:

  • Voted unanimously to support an application for a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant for a building reuse project for Pronamic Industries to make improvements to the Quick Start II building at the Washington Industrial Park. The amount of the grant is based on a projection of 38 jobs at the rate of $20,000 per job created by Pronamic Industries. At a meeting earlier this month, the commissioners voted to sell the Quick Start II building to Pronamic Industries for $1.5 million, with the provision that the company create at least 35 new jobs and install natural gas lines to serve the building. “This is an opportunity to work with a new business … and create value at the industrial park,” said Bob Heuts, county economic-development director.
  • Voted 5-2 to approve $11,102.49 in travel expenses after confirming the membership of the Beaufort County Board of Elections. Commissioners Stan Deatherage and Hood Richardson cast dissenting votes.
  • Voted 6-1 to appropriate $9,700 in additional funding for a county fire inspector to help clear the backlog of fire inspections in the county. There is a backlog of 82 fire inspections of businesses, marinas and public gathering spaces with occupancies of more than 100 people that require an annual or bi-annual fire inspection and a backlog of 40 known churches that require inspections every three years, among other inspections, the commissioners were told.
  • Voted unanimously to accept a bid of $500 from Christopher Banks for foreclosed property at 213 and 215 W. Fifth St., and a bid of $9,500 from Johnnie Northern for foreclosed property at 702 Gladden St.
  • Tabled until its December meeting action on new bylaws for the Beaufort County Economic Development Commission and the job description for the county’s economic-development director.
  • Tabled action on a request to install a video visitation system at the Beaufort County Detention Center. The commissioners heard a request from Capt. Catrena Ross that the board provide funding that would complete a process begun in recent years to eliminate in-person prisoner visitation and, in its place, provide video visitation for prisoners. “I’m trying to do pro-maintenance,” she said. “And keep something from happening at the jail.”
  • Tabled action on an agreement among Beaufort, Hyde, Martin, Tyrrell and Washington counties to create a public-defender’s office to serve the 2nd Judicial District. The commissioners also tabled action on a proposed lease to house a public-defender’s office in Washington.
  • Tabled action on a grant application from the Purpose of God Annex Outreach Center for a $90,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission for Project New Hope. The grant, if approved, would require a $22,500 matching grant from the county, the commissioners were told.
  • Made the following appointments: Keith Kidwell, Roy Simpson and Hood Richardson to the Beaufort Regional Health System Board of Commissioners; John Pack, David Fields and Carolyn Hughes to the Region Q EMS Advisory Council and Ida Wimbush, Zula Bailey and Richard Smaw to the Beaufort County Community Advisory Council.