Developments across the Triad and beyond, compiled by Keith T. Barber and Brian Clarey
The Forsyth County Commissioners voted unanimously to table a resolution that would have raised the rent the county pays to Baptist Hospital for use of its public health dental clinic by a whopping 6,102,400 percent during the council’s regular meeting Dec. 15. Currently, the county pays Baptist Hospital $1 a year to operate the dental clinic that serves Medicaid eligible adults located at 501 N. Cleveland Ave. County Manager Dudley Watts said the hospital has indicated that it can no longer afford to lease the dental clinic to the county for $1 a year, and is proposing an annual rental rate of $61,024. The county’s current lease with the hospital expires at the end of this month. Commissioner Walter Marshall said he felt disappointed by the hospital’s demands. “I think this is political more than anything else,” Marshall said. Commissioner Richard Linville entered the motion to table the hospital’s proposal, “to see whether we can renegotiate.” Watts informed the board that its Dec. 15 meeting represented its last of the year, so the matter couldn’t be taken up again until after the lease with Baptist Hospital had expired. “I need to find out if they’re willing to give us a month-to-month occupancy,” Watts said. The resolution authorizing the execution of the new lease proposed by the hospital indicates that the revenues derived from the operation of the clinic by the county should be sufficient to pay all operating expenses including the new rental fee of $61,024. — KB
McNeill steps downGuilford County Manager David McNeill announced his retirement last week at the county commissioners meeting after whispers that newly named Chair Melvin “Skip” Alston and Vice Chair Steve Arnold were gathering votes for his ouster. McNaill will step down Jan. 1, 2009, and Finance Director Brenda Jones Fox was approved by a 9-2 vote to serve as interim manager. — BC
UNCG security breach
A breach in computer security at UNCG occurred last week when a virus was discovered in a machine in the Accounting Services Department, which processes the university’s payroll. At risk is the compromise of the personal information of faculty, staff, student employees and former employees who were paid as recently as April. Names, Social Security numbers, direct deposit routing numbers and bank account information were stored on the computer.
“This is a very, very serious matter, and the university is taking all the necessary steps to assure the security of our employees’ personal and business information,” Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Reade Taylor said in a press release. “We are advising employees to check direct deposit accounts with their banks to ensure that no unauthorized activities, such as unknown or suspicious withdrawals, have been made. “We believe the risk to actual data is low, but we can’t take chances. We are notifying people about the situation, whether there is a risk or not.” UNCG has begun a website, fsv.uncg.edu/incident, for employees to gain more information about the breach. They direct questions to 336.334.5851. And the university has alerted TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, the three major credit reporting agencies, and the state attorney general’s office of the possible heist. — BC
Ashe to ashes?
Forbes magazine named Asheboro as one of the “fastest-dying towns” in the nation in its December issue. Journalist Matt Woolsey compiled information from US Census data and put Asheboro at No. 4 on the list, behind Kokomo, Ind; Candler-McAfee, Ga.; and Bensenville, Ill., which earned the No. 1 spot due to its decline in manufacturing and warehouse jobs and an 11.4-percent income decline from 2000-’07. Asheboro, for its part, posted a surge in poverty from 15.7 percent to 26.7 percent, a seven-year income decline of 9.5 percent and a dropping domestic migration rate. — BC
Kaplan, Ferrell appointed to Airport Commission
The Forsyth County Commissioners appointed commissioner Ted Kaplan and Thomas Ferrell to the Airport Commission during the council’s regular meeting Dec. 15. Chairman Dave Plyler nominated Kaplan to be the commissioner representative on the Airport Commissioner. Kaplay was endorsed by a unanimous vote of his fellow commissioners. In a tiebreaker vote, Ferrell defeated rival William Whiteheart for the other seat on the commission. The Airport Commission is responsible for governing, maintaining, operating and developing Smith Reynolds Airport. The commissioners also appointed Monica Thompson to the Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee; Terry Cox to the Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee; and Richard Reich and Frank Serge to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Appointments to the Coalition for Drug Abuse, Historic Resources Commission and Juvenile Crime Prevention Council were continued to a later date due to a dearth of candidates for those committees and councils. — KB
Parks director retires
Greensboro Parks & Recreation Director Bonnie Kuester has announced her retirement as of Jan. 31, 2009, according to a press release issued by the city. Keuster, only the fourth director in the Parks & Recreation Department’s 75-year history, was hired bv the department in 1968 to work with special-needs children. She became director in 1992. “It has been an honor to serve in the City of Greensboro organization and our community for the past 40 years. I am especially thankful to the dedicated and highly professional sForsyth adopts new flood standards
The Forsyth County Commissioners approved a resolution to ensure the county’s flood damage prevention regulations are consistent with current National Flood Insurance Program standards during the council’s regular meeting Dec. 15. Forsyth County Manager Dudley Watts explained that counties across the state are required to adopt newly revised Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Insurance Rate Maps to reflect changes to local floodplains.
The major change is that houses and other structures built in the county have to be two feet above the base flood elevation, or the 100-year flood elevation. The previous ordinance required structures be built one foot above the base flood elevation.
Watts
pointed out that an additional foot of building construction adds to
the initial cost of development, but that cost is more than offset by
the significant reduction in flood insurance premiums for homeowners.
Watts added that commissioners had to adopt the updated flood insurance
rate maps by Jan. 2 in order for the county to remain eligible for FEMA
disaster assistance. — KB
SCAAP funds
The Forsyth County Commissioners approved the use of federal grant money received by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to go toward providing health care at the Forsyth County Youth Detention Center during the council’s regular meeting Dec. 15. The sheriff’s office recently received $88,608 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance under its State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.
The sheriff’s office is currently soliciting bids for a health provider for its detention center. The sheriff’s office requested a portion of the funds be used to purchase global positioning system devices for electronic house arrest in an effort to encourage the courts to place more non-violent offenders under house arrest. The program provides federal payments to states and localities that incurred correctional officer salary costs for incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens with at least one felony or two misdemeanor convictions. — KB
