County awards bids for SMHS workforce addition

School board's request for supplement match goes unanswered

By Lisa Majors-Duff

Bids totaling $2.2 million were awarded for Smoky Mountain High School's new workforce building. Of the five general contracting bids opened, Western Builders' proposal of $1,393,000 was deemed low bid after the apparent low-bidder, Aldridge Brothers, did not submit an acceptable bid bond, said architect John Cort of Asheville.

Mountain Plumbing and Mechanical of Andrews received the plumbing contract at a rate of $116,400, while Price and Price of Arden was selected for the mechanical work at a rate of $497,225. Brevard Electric Co. of Horse Shoe submitted a low bid of $244,980 for wiring the new building.

Total bids for the workforce addition are 10 percent over county funds set aside for the project, Cort said. The remaining funds will come from the total project budget, according to county finance officer Darlene Fox. Construction on the building is expected to get under way in October and be completed by July 1, 2001.

The new workforce building is part of an improvement plan at the county's most populous high school. In addition to the new building, Phase I of the plan calls for the relocation of the school's cafeteria and improvements to the gymnasium.

Also at last week's meeting, school Superintendent Frank Burrell relayed to commissioners a recent decision by the Jackson County Board of Education to offer a .43 percent supplement to county teachers. Burrell asked that the $50,000 set aside by the school board for the supplement be matched by the commission.

"Let's do it for the teachers in our county," Burrell said. "Three of you are teachers, and you know what impact a teacher can have on the life of a child."

Burrell was referring to Commissioner Stacy Buchanan, who currently teaches at Smoky Mountain; Commissioner Franz Whitmire, a retired principal and school administrator; and Chairman Jay Denton, who taught high school biology prior to being elected to the board's full-time seat.

If the county chooses not to match the school's supplement, which would then equal .86 percent per teacher, the supplement will likely not be available next year, said Burrell.

Similar requests have been made of the county board on numerous occasions over the last year, and each time the board has voiced a consensus not to supply funds for a teaching supplement. In other business to come before the board:

- Officials with the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library requested commissioners set aside $100,000 a year for five years to be applied toward a library expansion to include additional space for collections, a new children's area and more parking.

"We want to be a partner with the county," said Barbara Carlton, who serves on the library's advisory committee. "If the county (sets aside the funds), then the committee will start a fund-raising effort to match it."

"We know we won't get our expansion until Sylva does," said Librarian Diane Strumm, "but we want to be prepared."

In its first year of operation in 1994, the Cashiers Library circulated 10,000 books, Strumm said. Last year's circulation figures were closer to 46,000 books. The library also has more than 5,000 card holders, she said, and waiting lists for use of Internet-ready computers have become a regular occurrence.

"I think you've got a great plan," said Chairman Denton, "but the other end of the county is still in dire need." The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva has had plans to expand for several years. Those plans were put on hold when it was determined that the Sylva library's current location on Main Street did not offer enough space for an addition.

- Greg Thomas, owner of Country Collections, presented board members with a plan he hopes will save the county $500,000. That's how much is projected to be spent to site a new construction and demolition landfill on Mineral Springs Road.

Thomas's proposal involves using Webster Enterprises recycling location in Dillsboro for unloading of materials after they've been weighed at the old landfill scales.

Thomas, who recently took over Webster Enterprises' recycling operation in Dillsboro and who has a contract with Sylva to collect the town's business recyclables, pointed out that his plan has benefits beyond saving taxpayers' dollars. The Dillsboro landfill is well known in the community, and siting another landfill could result in public complaints, he said. Country Collections would be also responsible for billing, freeing up time for county employees who currently perform this duty, Thomas said. In addition, Country Collections, which earned about $600,000 last year, is a county business employing county residents, he said.

"We already have the equipment; we already have the loading dock; we already have the labor force," he stated in his proposal.

"I agree that Greg has some good ideas," said Jim McElduff, a consultant with the Fletcher Group, the Asheville engineering firm under contract to advise the county on solid waste matters. "But I think we should look at his plan in greater detail."

The county currently has plans to let bids on the Mineral Springs transfer station in October, said Denton, who voiced concern about Thomas's lack of experience in the area of solid waste management.

- Contracts for ambulance service provided by both WestCare EMS and the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad were presented to board members for review. Minor changes are included, with WestCare being asked to assure an ambulance is in the county at all times and that a new ambulance will be purchased by the county for Glenville-Cashiers, have been incorporated. The documents could be voted upon at the board's meeting tonight (Thursday).

- At the request of Cashiers-Glenville Fire Chief Randy Dillard, board members approved a $3,000 payment to the Highlands Fire Department for their continued coverage of homes in Jackson County. Highlands, which is closer to two Jackson County subdivisions, responds to fire calls without compensation. Macon County charges its residents a fire tax, Dillard said, but is not able to tax the Jackson County subdivisions for this service. If Highlands had decided not to provide fire protection, insurance rates for those homeowners would have increased, he said.

- In a related matter, Dillard advised commissioners that developer Tom Turner had approached him about fire service for homes he expects to be built on an island he owns in Lake Glenville. Some 19 lots are being advertised for sale on the island, and some construction is under way, said Dillard, who recommended a clause be added to the fire department's contract with the county that would exclude the island from the department's service area.

- Board members approved a $32,765 contract with HMC Paving and Construction of Bryson City to pave 1,700 linear feet of the Cashiers SRC road.

- A resolution in support of Southwestern Community College's plans to expand the Jackson campus received unanimous support from the board. The plan calls for a variety of land swaps with adjacent property owners, including the state Departments of Transportation and, the Forest Service and the school board, designed to provide the college more buildable land.

- Commissioners approved a resolution requesting that the Department of Transportation investigate improvements to Olivet Road, which serves as the access for the Cherokee Solid Waste Transfer Station. In addition to trash trucks and resident's vehicles, school buses use the road on a daily basis, the resolution points out.

"The increase in population and vehicular traffic dictates that improvements must be made immediately," the document says.

- Mike Powell was removed from the Solid Waste Advisory Board for non-attendance, and Loanne Hibbard was appointed in his place.

- Following a closed session for personnel, commissioners voted 4-1 to offer the position of sediment control ordinance officer to Chad Cabe, a recent Western Carolina University graduate with a degree in natural resources management. Commissioner Whitmire cast the opposing vote, saying he wished instead to support the recommendation of the county building inspector.

Tonight's meeting of the board will be a joint session with Sylva, Dillsboro, Webster and the Village of Forest Hills to discuss the "smart growth" initiative. The meeting is scheduled to get under way at 7 p.m. in the Justice Center Board Room.

The next regular meeting of the board will be held Thursday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Justice Center.

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