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Commissioners Meet Tonight: E&R Review, Secondary Road and Bid Award Requests, Middle Fork Greenway

By Jesse Wood

March 18, 2014. The Watauga County Board of Commissioners meets Tuesday, March 18, at 5:30 p.m. See entire agenda below or click here to peruse the meeting’s packet.

Board of Equalization and Review Schedule

Watauga County Tax Administrator will discuss the scheduling of this year’s Board of Equalization and Review (E&R), which is the first level of review for landowners after the county undergoes its revaluation.

According to the meetings packet, the commissioners will also decide whether it wants to create a special board for E&R or if the commissioners would like to hear any appeals from landowners. 

Below is the proposed schedule for commissioner to consider: 

Meeting Times:

  • April 28, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • April 29, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • May 1, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • May 5, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • May 6, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • May 12, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • May 15, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • May 19, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
  • May 21, 2014 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Bid Award Requests

The commissioners will hear bid award requests for a new maintenance vehicle and the paving of Rocky Knob Park.

Secondary Roads Addition Request

Watauga County Planning and Inspections Director Joe Furman will present a request from residents of George Triplett Road petitioning the N.C. Department of Transportation to add the road to the state-maintained system. For the road to be added improvements must be made to the road, which the residents have agreed to fund, according to a memo from County Manager Deron Geouque.

Middle Fork Greenway Engineering Recommendation

The commissioners will vote on whether to select Vaughn and Melton, an engineering firm, for a portion of the Middle Fork Greenway project. While Furman has recommended the board select Vaughn and Melton based on the firm’s experience and proximity to Boone, two other firms are either in the process of being “pre-qualified” or are pre-qualified: Blue Ridge Environmental Consultants and McGill Associates – for the project.

Bids for the construction are due March 21.

The part of the trail in question is 1,965 feet and is located in between Tweetsie and Mystery Hill and goes under the U.S. 221 highway and onto a piece of property that the county now owns known as the Whitener tract. Furman said NCDOT funding from the Federal Highway Administration in the amount of $375,000 has been secured for the project.

WC Meeting