KENANSVILLE — A variety of projects and county issues were addressed by the county manager in his bimonthly report to the Duplin county commissioner last week. The upcoming board reorganization was just one of several items shared by county manager Mike Aldridge.

At the next board meeting, to be held Dec. 7, the manager reminded the commissioners to be prepared to elect a new chairman and vice chair man as required. Currently Cary Turner holds the chairman post and commissioner Reginald Wells fills the vice chairman’s position. According to Aldridge, the chairmanship is usually held for a period of one year but it is at the board’s discretion to re-elect the current officers for an additional term.

The manager reported to the commissioners that the Spring property drainage problem had been investigated by the Emery and Kenansville public works staff. The problem occurs with storm drainage and it was determined that the existing metal drain pipe on the property had rusted and collapsed. Replacing the pipe to correct the problem would involve digging under Duplin Street and will be expensive, the said. Aldridge stated the town is investigating a grant through which the county may be able to share the cost to correct the problem.

In the recurring problem of farmers and solid waste, Aldridge stated, “We do not have an equitable method for billing farmers for use of the solid waste sites. For this reason, I strongly urge the board to reconsider this directive and delay implementation until the budget preparation process for the FY 2010-11 budget.”

Action was not taken on the matter.

Aldridge conveyed to commissioners that two additional driveways are needed to give access to grass parking areas in front of the Duplin County Events Center, as well as an additional pedestrian crosswalk so people walking will not have to jump or walk through a ditch to reach the arena.

“The driveways along with the north end access road have been small improvements to the property,” shared the manager, “and we still need to invest about $30,000 immediately to rock travel ways for parking areas.”

Board members were made aware that several water system and sewer projects were progressing.

In his report, the manager stated that the Albertson test well had been completed and the town was awaiting results. District E is near completion and District D contract was awarded Nov. 2, he noted.

“We are continuing to seek additional ARRA funds to offset the county’s $150,000 contribution,” Aldridge stated. He shared that on the Rosemary sewer project, the infrastructure portion was near completion and paving streets and housing rehab remains to be completed.

The report notified the commissioners that Eric Southerland, training coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office, had been certified as a driving instructor. “This will be a valuable in-house training resource for the Sheriff’s Department as well as other county departments,” stated Aldridge. He also shared that the Safety Committee was scheduled to train employees on fire extinguishers Nov. 17 and 19.

In other updates, the manager said that the security glass for the tax collector’s office was being installed. The clerk of court has requested the same security glass for the collections area there and Aldridge shared that he was getting bids for that.

In the matter of security for DSS, the report stated that Capt. Tim Jones is assisting in making recommendations for security measures there. According to the bailiffs, the security cameras at the courthouse need to be upgraded to allow pan and zoom capabilities.

Demolition of the old Chinquapin School was moving forward with the asbestos abatement work starting the week of Oct. 26, and demolition work has begun. Aldridge expressed that the Chinquapin VFD had requested permission to burn the building for practice. However, the manager shared that he had been informed the building was not stable enough to safely allow people to enter it during the burning. The commissioners voted to continue with the demolition and let the contractor complete the work of demolition.

Aldridge also provided the board with information on the progress of the signage at the Lois Britt Agricultural Center and that the county would have approximately $10,000 invested in the sign. He also shared that his office was in the process of seeking another grant writer to assist in seeking grant funds for the James Sprunt Community College Safety Building, an animal control facility and warehouse to complete his report.

To contact Billy Todd, call 910-592-8137 ext. 117 or e-mail sigeneral@myclintonnc.com.