By: Blake Proctor
The Bladenboro Board of Commissioners held their regular monthly meeting in a mostly empty Commission Chamber.
Mayor Rufus Duckworth called for a public hearing on the fiscal year 2021 budget; there were no comments, and the hearing was closed.
During the Public Forum segment of the meeting, Bladen Online Owner Charlotte Smith came before the Board to address what she perceived as what are evidently some severe telephone issues at the Police Department office.
Following approval of a short Consent Agenda, the Mayor recognized Mr. Bill Lester from the Town’s Engineering firm, LKC Engineering, out of Aberdeen, who appeared before the Board to inform the members of the outcome of the bidding process to install an electric generator at the Maintenance Shop, and four additional generators at the two wells and two sewer lift stations. The funds for this vital project are a 100% grant from the Community Development Block Grant program.
Mr. Lester stated that the town received five bids ranging from $208,634 to a high of $295,000; he described these figures as a good range, although the low bid was slightly higher than the funds allocated by the grant. His recommendation was that the town places the generators at the maintenance shop, the two lift stations, and well number 8 with the current available funding of $172,750, and seek a grant adjustment for the fifth generator, which is nearly assured.
By unanimous vote, the Board agreed to contract with the Red Springs firm of NW Electrical Contracting to install the four generators as recommended by Mr. Lester, and to continue to press for the adjustment in the grant that will afford purchase and installation of the fifth generator.
In other business, the Board adopted a resolution creating a “General Fund Capital Equipment Reserve Fund;” adopted the Budget Ordinance for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, and approved retaining the CPA firm of Thompson, Price, Scott, Adams & Company to provide the FY2020 annual financial audit Bladen Online will present an omnibus story regarding all of next year’s municipal budgets.
Before adjournment, the Commission went into a short executive session to discuss personnel as approved by state law. Upon returning to open session, they unanimously approved hiring Austin Sykes as a Summer Maintenance Worker.
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