New fire department

By Carolyn Reid

FALMOUTH — A special meeting focusing on the building for the county fire department started Tuesday’s Pendleton County Fiscal Court session.

Judge/Executive David Fields told the court his “guesstimate” to tear down the former Family Dollar store building in Butler — where the county plans to place the fire department — is $5,000.

The county would need concrete and engineering to place the building on-site, and a roof for the building will cost $31,036.65.

Siding is included in the cost of the roof.  The duct work is already in place. Engineers would need to pour the concrete and set the doors, Magistrate Rick Mineer said.

After Magistrate Josh Plummer questioned the HVAC system that is in place, Mineer said he expected it to last four or five more years.

The engineer who has been consulted has experience with fire departments, and he said the structure is similar to others and said it was safe.

Plummer agreed the building was a great deal, and it could be used for something if not the fire department.

He asked about the timeline for the teardown, and Fields answered the company was ready to go with that.

Mineer moved to purchase the building, a steel structure, for $27,000. Fields clarified another $20,358.88 needed to be allocated to replace the roof.

The vote was three for and one against. Magistrate Darrin Gregg voted against the purchase.

CLOCK TOWER

During the caucus, the judge gave a photo tour of the courthouse’s clock tower. The clock has not been seen to since 1999, according to his records, and Verdin and Co. came in to give an estimate on the clock and its needs.

Fields said the ladder in the tower that was built 140 years ago was the original ladder, and the bolt holding the bell in place is, as well.

The mechanisms are original to the clock, but an electronic striker was put in place some time in recent history. That striker also needs to be replaced.

Verdin’s estimate was $12,195 for the repairs and which includes the striker, the bolt, and the installation of the bell equipment.

As Mineer looked more closely at the contract, he pointed out several ambiguities that led the judge to look into getting more information before the next meeting. ANIMAL CONTROL

Falmouth’s response to the animal control agreement was questioned because the ordinances in the city include cat and livestock restrictions, things our animal control does not do. After discussing the limitations of animal control in these matters, Fields said he would communicate with Mayor Luke Price to clarify these points.

EXTENSION

Extension Agents Kenna Knight, Linde Huffman and Lydia Gosney presented a brief review of their programs for the past several months. Knight presented her study abroad programs where she went to coffee farms and other destinations in Belize and the hiking club that has hiked trails in several destinations. The next trip will be to New England in early September.

Gosney praised her new Livestock Judging team and their accomplishments as first-time competitors. North Central 4-H Camp signups, she reported, are due April 4.

Huffman reported the office handed out $200 in garden supplies to 150 people at their recent Garden Extravaganza, and 45 percent of those people had never been to the extension office before.

She also said soil testing kits are available so gardeners can find their best places to plant. The county’s RSVP group was commended for all of their help in making the event such a success.

COUNTY JAIL

Jailer Tony Gillespie proposed his budget that includes an increase in daily housing costs for inmates and a new van for transporting them. With the cage and the vehicle itself, the cost will be approximately $90,000. The old vehicle will be used as a backup, something they do not have at this time.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business, Mineer discouraged the proposed purchase of a brush truck for the fire department, saying that purchase was not in the best interest of the county.

The judge proposed the county work out an arrangement with the new dollar store, giving them the needed dirt for excavating the fire property.

In magistrate comments, Magistrate Josh Plummer asked about bringing Clos Road up to specs to have it paved because the county cannot service gravel roads. The cost to the residents would be around $200,000, the court said. Sharp Road also wants to be made a county road, but the narrow end brings more questions into mind.

The court also talked about some frustrations with code enforcement and the resistance of some to comply regardless of the actions taken. They also reported a turn lane is being installed that leads from the AA to New Hope Road.

Shannon Johnson, a county resident, spoke at the end of the meeting to ask about the restrictions from living in her RV full-time. The court explained they had already moved on that ordinance.

The next meeting of PC Fiscal Court will be 6 p.m.March 26 in the upper-floor meeting room of the courthouse on Main Street.