County Commissioners Delay PUD Rules

At the County Commissioners meeting last night there was some intense discussion of the PUD issue (Planned Unit Development - essentially a special variance procedure for developers who wish to offer the county offsets for increasing density on portions of a development). At the end, there was no final agreement on the issues, and due to some concerns by the county attorney and county management on additional input desired, the decision was postponed another month.

Misty Edwards, Zee Lamb, Norman Cherry, Rick Harrell, L.C. Hoggard, Wallace Perry And Lloyd Smith

Other actions at the meeting included presenting checks to two of our local fire departments for reimbursement of expenditures on new fire equipment. Commissioner Wallace Perry presented Fire Chief Milton Felton of Colerain a check for $5,000 and Commissioner Norman Cherry presented Fire Chief Larry Mizelle of Lewiston a check for $5,000.

Wallace Perry Presents Milton Felton With Check

Norman Cherry Presents Larry Mizelle With Check

Another action of note was when the Commissioners voted to stop the state from wasting money on paving two local roads on which no one lives. This action saves the money for us to use on more valuable efforts. The two projects stopped were paving Willie White Road, saving $378,000 and paving Old King Farm Road saving $225,000. This gives a total savings of $603,000 that we can spend on more usefull efforts for Bertie County tax payers.

The need to have these votes points out once again the flaws in the states process for prioritizing these efforts, and the failure of the NCDOT to adequately communicate their plans to the county. The once a year meeting held after actions are started does not really work.

Capacity Rotary Crowd Hears Hospice

Jennifer Morris, representing University Health Systems Hospice Care gave an interesting presentation on the services they provide. Of special interest was the overview of the differences between a living will and a power of attorney for health care, two documents they recommend that everyone consider having.

Jennifer Morris, Hospice Care

Jennifer passed out examples of the two documents, and described the services they can offer in helping people make the decision, and get whatever documents a patient wishes created correctly.




The Rotary Crowd Is Growing

For further information you can contact Jennifer at Hospice Care, by phone at (252) 332-3392 extension 29, or through email at jwmorris@pcmh.com.

Bertie County Recreation Complex

I was out of the county on the day of the ground breaking ceremony for the new Bertie County Recreation Complex. It was a disappointment I was away as I had heard some great things about the new facility, believed it was something that we all should be excited about and wanted to be present. It was thus a nice gesture by County Manager Zee Lamb and Recreation Director Donna Mizelle when they offered to spend a little time showing me the complex and giving me some background on its creation.

Zee Lamb and Donna Mizelle At The Bertie County Recreation Complex Entrance

The story starts back in 2001 when first efforts to put the complex together were started. Over time Bertie County was able to get a grant from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund of $250,000. This grant required matching funds from Bertie County which was provided. That money funded Phase I of the project, with two additional phases planned for.

Parking Lot For New Sports Complex

Entrance to the new facility is off US 17 east of Windsor just past NC 308. It will be on your left heading out of town. It is not open yet, but will be shortly as soon as the architect signs off on the final details the contractor must finish.

Our New Professional Grade Baseball Field

There is a nice parking lot for the facility which is situated between the two fields that have already been created, and which will be convenient for the additional fields that are planned for future expansion.

One Of Two Sponsored Scoreboards - The Other Sponsor Is Pritchett And Burch

The current facility has two fields, one a professional grade baseball field, and the other a multi purpose field for football and soccer. The facilities are designed for flexibility, and can easily be reconfigured for the different dimensions that are needed for different age groups. Things such as movable home run fences and movable mounds have been provided for in the design.

The View From Home Plate

Some of the funding for the facility has come from two companies that have sponsored the scoreboards for the county. They are local law firm Pritchett and Burch and Republic Services of North Carolina.

Multi Purpose Field For Football And Soccer

The next phase of the project has already received a grant of $500,000 from the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. This will be matched by the county, and allow for another field for softball and baseball, a dedicated soccer field, restrooms, concessions stands, press boxes, a playground and a picnic shelter.

New Grandstands Are Waiting For Baseball Fans

Planning has already started on phase 3, to include tennis, outdoor basketball, a walking track, horse shoe courts and volleyball courts.

A lot of people worked really hard to provide this new facility for Bertie County residents, including the Board of Commissioners and County Management. They have done well.

Heritage House Inter-racial Prayer Breakfast

One of the best things going in Bertie County is the effort by many of the local ministers to bring together good intentioned people of all races so that our houses of worship can truly be as inter-racial as our culture is. Every month a prayer breakfast is held at the Heritage House in Windsor to promote inter-racial friendships. Some months we get better participation than others.

Last Month's Prayer Breakfast Got A Slow Start

The next breakfast is next Monday, October 16th at 8:00 AM. If you would like to get together with other Christians who seek better friendships with others, please join us.

Bertie Commissioners Debate US 13, NC 11 Issue

by Cal Bryant - October 6th, 2006 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

At Monday’s Bertie County Board of Commissioners meeting, what began as a discussion over scheduling a Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) meeting turned towards the ongoing debate over improvements to highways 11 and 13.

This issue really is about where development will occur, either in Greenville or locally. Support for NC 11 is essentially support that our area will be subservient to Greenville and development will occur there, not here. Making it easier to get to Greenville makes Greenville the attractive place. There is no way that anyone trying to serve our area will expect Greenville people will drive to Ahoskie or Aulander. It certainly does not help Windsor in any way.

Support for widening U.S. 13 to make a North South corridor that includes Murfreesboro, Ahoskie, Windsor, Williamston, Washington and New Bern, means that developers can draw from a wider audience when planning anything along that North-South corridor. It gives every town on that corridor a better chance to attract development. That includes both Ahoskie and Windsor.

If you want to attract development to our area, widening NC 11 is a loser to US 13. Certainly the proposal to give up a certain road improvement, the already scheduled US 13 upgrade to a freeway, for a possible widening of NC 11 that will delay road improvements in the best of cases, is a poor choice. The US 13 project must proceed. If widening NC 11 still makes sense it should be done on its own merits.

The Bertie County Commissioner's have established a public meeting to discuss our transportation future on October 16th at 4:00 PM.

Inner Banks Laughter - Political Humor

Thanks to Floppingaces.net

Here is a link to the "Flopping Aces" blog site. It is a great new site I just discovered. Check it out.

http://floppingaces.net/

I will be adding it to my "Blogs of Interest" list!