Commission reconvenes UG committee
HUNTSVILLE — In what was a relatively brief meeting, County Commission Monday night made new appointments and reconvened the Scott County Urban Growth Committee at the written request of the elective boards of both the Town of Huntsville and Town of Oneida.
The Urban Growth Committee will act on requests from both communities for expansion of their respective urban growth areas — opening the door for possible annexations without having to conduct a public referendum.
Among the new members named to the county’s Urban Growth Committee are Dick Smith, who will chair the committee, and Chuck Losey, who will serve as vice chairman.
In other business Monday evening, the Commission:
• Authorized the use of the old Winfield School building by the Appalachian Service Project (APS), a volunteer group of young adults who will address housing repair needs of Scott Countians between May 30 and August 4. The agreement approved by the Commission will result in rent payments of up to $5,000, plus the cost of utilities during the rental period;
• Voted to allow the Scott County Road Department to acquire a used “boom truck” to aid in the removal of downed trees on county roads, at a cost of $25,000;
• Approved the appropriation of $1,100 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization by purchasing two tables at the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters fund-raising banquet;
• Approved fund-raising roadblock requests for the South Scott County Volunteer Fire Dept. (May 2), and Paint Rock Volunteer Fire Dept.(May 23);
• Adopted the 2009 Scott County Road List submitted by Road Supt. Dick Sexton (with minor revisions);
• Accepted and put to public record the minutes of regularly scheduled meetings of the Joint Economic and Community Development Board, and its Executive Committee;
• Authorized proclamations for National Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Day (April 8), National Child Abuse Prevention Month (April), and National Volunteer Week (April 19-25);
• Heard updates on school-related activities from Scott County Director of Schools Sharon Wilson, and Oneida Special School District Director Henry Baggett;
• Heard a report from Scott County Sheriff Anthony Lay, which included the announcement that he had acquired a surplus 15-passenger van which will be used to transport inmates of the Scott County Jail to litter pick-up sites throughout the county, and did so at no cost to the taxpayers (with funds generated from the annual sale of advertisements for the Sheriff’s Dept. calendar); and,
• Conducted brief discussions but took no action, on the progress of the H.O.M.E. Grant, terminating the plan to determine the net worth of the hospital and real estate (at a cost of $13,000 to date), and the scheduled May 2 “Relay For Life” event set for the Oneida City Park.