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Commissioners To Meet Tuesday: Fire District Property Transfer, Cove Creek Peace Pole, WHS Sports Facility

By Jesse Wood

Feb. 17, 2015. The Watauga County Board of Commissioners will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 5:30 p.m. inside the Watauga County Administration Building for its second meeting of the month.

Agenda items include:

Transfer of Property Between Fire Districts

A public hearing to allow citizen comment regarding the transfer of property from the Beaver Dam Fire District to the Cove Creek Fire District, effective July 1, will take place at Tuesday night’s meeting.

According to a memo from Watauga County Communications Emergency Services Director Jeff Virginia to Watauga County Manager Deron Geouque, responders with the Beaver Dam Fire Department, which currently serves the Raven Rock Farms Road area, must travel through the Cove Creek district because the only access to the subdivision is through Phillips Branch Road.

Virginia noted that both fire chiefs, James Sherwood of Beaver Dam VFD and Terry Combs of Cove Creek VFD, “have agreed to change for better service of the area affected.”

Proposed Indoor Baseball Facility at WHS

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners will hear a request to provide funds for the construction of an indoor baseball facility to be located at Watauga High School.

“Previous discussions with the group have indicated their desire for monetary support from the county commissioners. It is unclear as to the exact dollar amount based on the information submitted. However, staff believes the monetary amount will be in the range of $100,000 to $125,000 with the potential request to include the use of county personnel,” according to a memo to commissioners from Geouque.

In a letter from the Friends of Watauga Pioneer Baseball and Softball, the facility would allow the ball teams to “prepare adequately for their seasons” during the winter-weather months.

This letter was attached to the meeting packet and was dated April 23, 2010. The facility was initially included on the construction plans of the new Watauga High School several years ago but was eliminated from the final plans because of budget constraints.

The building footprint is 50 feet by 100 feet. Early this month, the group received an estimate from Mountain Steel Buildings for the building in the amount of $175,750, which doesn’t include fees for permits, plumbing, electrical or HVAC.

Peace Pole at Historic Cove Creek School

Representing Girl Scout Troop 10289, Barry Marshall will request permission to place a five-foot-tall “peace pole” at the county-owned park located at the old Cove Creek School.

To see the entire meeting packet and agenda, click here: Feb. 17 WCC Meeting.