Board queried on missing water

A Littleton man complained to the Warren County Board of Commissioners on Monday that six years after he paid to hook up to the county’s regional water system, he still has no service.
Roy Clark, speaking during the public comment period of the meeting, told the commissioners he paid for his hook-up in August of 2001, yet today he is still forced to use private well water because the project has not started providing him with water.
Clark said he has spoken to the county’s public works director, Macon Robertson, who told Clark the project could not be finished because there was no money left for it. Clark lives on North Carolina 158 between Vaughan and Littleton and he questioned how the project could be delayed for six years, and now he is being told there is no money.
He went on to say that homes without regional water should see a decrease in their county taxes due to high cost of homeowners insurance in an area where water must be trucked in.
The Commissioners had no comment.
In an unrelated matter, Joan Boyle came before board with 333 signatures on a petition requesting that the county commissioners move their meeting time back to evening.
Earlier this spring the board opted to move the monthly meetings to morning, when it is more difficult for working people in the county to attend.
Boyle explained to board members that more people would be able to participate in the meetings were they held at night. Most people attending this Monday morning’s meeting were retired, or county employees required to attend.
Boyle went on to read a resolution passed at the Warren County Democratic Convention, which was presented to the board at last month’s meeting. That resolution calls for the board to move the meetings back to evenings.
Dickie Williams, Warren County parks and recreation director, came before the board to request an increase of $66,000 in the Recreation Complex Phase II construction contract.
The reason for this increase was the shoulder and roadside ditch had to widened by eight feet and a telephone pole and drainpipe had to be moved.
Commissioner Bill Davis asked who was responsible for this mistake, Williams said that Rivers and Associates drew up the plans for the road, but once the work was finished the Department of Transportation said the edge of the road would have to be widened.
County Manager Linda Jones stated that the work must be done; there really was no choice. North Carolina Rep. Michael Wray is working to acquire funding for this project, but the county will not know the outcome of this request until later in the summer.
The commission voted unanimously to approve this addition to the construction contract.
In other action, the board:
• Unanimously approved the sale of the "Peter Davis Store," for $31,550, with the stipulation that the purchaser must follow federal historic preservation guidelines in renovation and restoration work and the property must remain at its present location on Front Street.
• Unanimously approved was an agreement between the county tax administration and the town of Norlina in which the county will now collect town taxes for this municipality as they do for Warrenton and Macon.
• Approved an annual allocation with a 10 percent local match of $28,261 for the Home and Community Care Block Grant Plan.
• Approved a contract between Southern Health Partners and Warren County. Southern Health Partners will provide healthcare services for the county detention center.
• Approved for sale at auction, to the highest bidder, surplus property including one vehicle, old office furniture, and old hospital equipment.
• Allocated $1,000 to Longbridge Volunteer Fire Department from the Fire Commission budget and the $60 special use fee was waived for the July 4 fireworks display scheduled for Eaton’s Ferry Bridge.
• Re-appointed Mary Catherine Harris to the jury commission; appointed Shenan Thompson to the Fire Commission, and re-appointed Bobbie Neal to the Fire Commission.