Cumberland County commissioners approve multiple change orders, property sale and appointments; move into closed session on Chemours litigation

Cumberland County commissioners approved several budgeted construction contract change orders, accepted an offer on surplus property, made an appointment, and moved into a closed session to consult with counsel on ongoing litigation.

Change orders and construction contracts: The board approved change order No. 1 for Crown Complex parking lot improvements with Highland Paving Company LLC to address latent soil issues discovered during milling. The board approved an additional $120,058.35 to the contract; staff reported that, based on figures provided in the meeting, the new contract total is $1,154,549.45 (original contract $1,034,491.10 plus $120,058.35). Commissioner Patel moved the motion.

The board also approved change order No. 1 for the Cumberland County Emergency Services Building chiller replacement with CMC Dale Mechanical Inc. to pay for a temporary chiller and replacement work. The change order amount was $13,250, increasing the contract total from $419,000 to $432,250 as reported at the meeting. Commissioner Tyson moved the motion.

For the Corporation Drive Outfall Phase 1 (a Golden LEAF–funded sanitary sewer project intended to serve roughly 180 acres), the board approved change order No. 1 with Jimco Construction Company for additional dewatering, undercutting and stone base work and a time extension of 365 days. The transcript records the change order amount as $106,839.80 and gives a resulting contract figure of $1,623,157.80; staff also stated the prior contract amount as $1,616,318. The recorded numbers are inconsistent (see clarifying details). Commissioner Tyson moved the motion.

Surplus property sale and policy review: The board accepted an offer to purchase surplus property at 400 Beaumont Drive (PIN 9487‑26‑8826; parts of lots 26–27, Beaumont subdivision, Plat Book 18, page 42) for $8,585 and found the parcel "not needed for governmental purposes," as stated in the motion. The motion also placed a 60‑day moratorium on future offers to purchase county real property and asked that the policy committee review the county’s offer‑and‑sale policy and return to the board in February. Commissioner Tyson moved the motion and stated the action is being taken pursuant to N.C.G.S. 160A‑269 as recorded in the meeting.

Appointment: The board appointed Vice Chairwoman Jones to the Alliance Health Board so she could attend the January meeting; Commissioner Patel moved the nomination.

Closed session on litigation: The board voted to enter a closed session to consult with the county attorney on Cumberland County v. The Chemours Company FC, LLC; DuPont de Nemours, Inc.; and Corteva, Inc., (file no. 22CBS1569) to protect attorney‑client privilege. Commissioner Tyson made the motion to move into closed session; later the board returned to open session and the chair said there was no other action taken in open session.

Votes: For the motions recorded in the transcript the board voted affirmatively by raised hand. The meeting record shows the motions were adopted; the transcript indicates the approvals were agreed to by the full board present when votes were taken.

Why it matters: The change orders cover additional costs and time extensions for county infrastructure and facility projects and will increase contract totals and project timelines. The surplus‑property sale and moratorium signal a short, board‑directed pause to review how the county accepts offers for real property.

Staff and legal follow‑up: Staff noted some budget amendments and contract processing will be needed to fund approved changes; the board asked for the surplus property policy review to come back to the policy committee and then to the board in February.