Office Building Addition Approved
HUNTSVILLE - The architect has finally been given the go-ahead to draw up plans for a $700,000-plus addition to the Scott County Office Building, as the result of an 11-2 vote of county commissioners here Monday night.
The commissioners, who for several months have been studying proposals for an addition to the office building, chose the less expensive of two plans being considered, saving some $300,000 in the process, according to County Mayor Dwight Murphy.
As the result of the vote, County Mayor Murphy said architect Neal Richardson of Upland Design in Crossville will develop detailed drawings of the proposed addition, which would then come back to the commissioners for consideration prior to being advertised for bids.
The addition, which is expected to increase the office space in the County Office Building by approximately one-third, is being sought to house all nonjudicial public offices currently located in the Scott County Courthouse. Making the move to the new addition will be the offices of Register of Deeds, County Property Assessor and County Clerk.
By a 13-0 vote, the commissioners authorized the creation of a seven-member governing board for the Scott County Help Center, and gave County Mayor Murphy the authority to execute a lease agreement with officials of Big Emory Baptist Association, The Scott-Morgan Project and the Salvation Army to operate it.
The Help Center, as it is now being called, will be located in the old Capitol Hill school building, and will cater to people in Scott County, from providing temporary shelter to other basic needs.
The governing board, as approved by the commission Monday night, will consist of Commissioner Leonard Bertram, chairman of the Building & Grounds Committee; Jeff Watson and Odeva Byrd, first district commissioners; Dwight Murphy, county mayor; David Acres, Big Emory Baptist Association; Jill Potter, Morgan-Scott Project; and Dewayne Hughett, Salvation Army.
The governing board is to convene, work out a plan for day-to-day operations of the Help Center, and report back to the commissioners in January, according to the resolution.
On a motion by Commissioner Ron Blevins and an all aye vote, the commissioners have approved the purchase of synthetic liner to cover the entire three and a half acres of the old county landfill.
And, by a separate resolution, approval was given for a special committee headed by Commissioner Rick Keeton to negotiate with an adjoining landowner to obtain fill dirt/top soil to put the final cap on the site. The synthetic liner is expected to cost approximately $49,000, while the fill dirt is being donated to the county with the provision that the property from which it is being taken is cleaned up, according to County Mayor Murphy.
In other business Monday night, the commissioners:
¥ Approved a resolution giving the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency space in the Juvenile Detention Center building previously occupied by the District Public DefenderÕs office. That move will open up additional office space for the Emergency Management Office;
¥ Voted to give Scott County Ambulance Service Director Jim Reed the authorization to enter into a 16-county coalition to address problems with TennCare collections;
¥ Approved the reappointment of nine members of the Scott County Airport Board and made one new appointment to that board. Reappointed to the board were Paul Lay, John V. West, Ruth Brawner, Palm T. Phillips, Chuck Losey, Brom Shoemaker and George West (to represent the first through seventh districts, respectively), along with Roger Chambers and Wayne Hughes (at-large representatives). Dr. Tom Hall was named as another at-large board member, replacing Carl Shafer, who asked not to be reappointed. The one-year terms end on Sept. 1, 2004;
¥ Approved a $6,100 bid from Highland Electric to install a new electrical entrance at the Scott County Juvenile Detention Center in advance of the completion of a roofing project. By separate motion, a resolution was approved to give Commissioners Leonard Bertram, Jeff Watson and Ernest Phillips the authority to determine whether the new lead-in will be under- or above-ground, as well as the authority to award the contract;
¥ Voted 11-2 to adopt a resolution requesting that the State Legislature and Governor pass legislation allowing the citizens of Tennessee to elect their county school superintendent;
¥ Voted to set a maximum length (of 40-feet) for driveway culvert that the road superintendent will be responsible for maintaining along county road rights-of-way. This motion was a follow-up to a resolution approved by the commissioners in July which gave the road superintendent the authority to install and maintain culvert purchased by property owners along county road rights-of-way;
¥ Approved a motion by Commissioner Jeff Watson to do away with routine roll call votes after every motion, unless specifically requested by commissioners or members of the audience;
¥ Approved the bond for newly-named fifth district constable Sherman Reagan;
¥ Heard a report from Ambulance Service Director Jim Reed concerning operational problems with heart monitors in ambulances, but delayed action on purchasing new ones until it can be determined if repairs and/or upgrades can be made to seven existing ones; and
¥ Accepted a letter of resignation from Mike Leath as a member of the Scott County Tourism Board.
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