Martin County commissioners appoint county manager to regional water board, back I-87 broadband INFRA application and hear outside-agency funding requests

Chairman Ronnie Smith called the Martin County Board of Commissioners to order at 7:00 p.m. on March 24, 2021 and the board quickly approved an amended agenda that added appointments to the Martin County Regional Water and Sewer Authority (MCRWASA) and a request to send a letter supporting an I-87 federal INFRA grant application that includes broadband deployment.

The board unanimously appointed County Manager James Bennett to the MCRWASA board and named Vice Chairman Dempsey Bond Jr. as the alternate after a motion from Commissioner Joe R. Ayers and a second from Commissioner David "Skip" Gurganus. The vote was 5-0.

County Manager James Bennett presented an email request from the NC East Alliance asking the county to send letters of support for NCDOT’s INFRA grant application for the completion of I-87 and associated broadband along the corridor; the Alliance requested letters be sent to NCDOT and the U.S. Department of Transportation by April 2, 2021. "NC East Alliance was asking that letters of support to be sent to NC DOT and US Department of Transportation (US DOT) by April 2nd, 2021," Bennett said. Commissioner Gurganus moved to authorize the letter of support; Commissioner Ayers seconded and the motion passed 5-0.

The remainder of the meeting comprised a series of outside-agency budget presentations for FY2021-22. Executive Director Marc Finlayson of the Highway 17/64 Association requested $10,000 and briefed commissioners on state transportation funding pressures, saying "Over $1 Billion in costs were associated with hurricane damage and MAP Act settlements" and noting House Bill 77 had provided NCDOT a cash lifeline. Finlayson also reported that project R-2511 (the Washington bypass/Old Ford to four-lane south of Williamston) is programmed and funded at $85.1 million with right-of-way under way.

Arts and human-services organizations presented funding requests and program updates: Joe B. Griffin Jr., president of the Martin Community Players, asked for $14,000 to support theater operations and a planned multi-week summer "drama camp" and noted the troupe rescheduled its "Sound of Music" production for December 1–5, 2021. Liz Reasoner, executive director of the Food Bank of the Albemarle, requested $4,000 and said that amount would provide about 20,000 pounds of food (roughly 16,666 meals); she reported that 19.7% of Martin County residents are food insecure and child food insecurity is 29.4%, and said FBA served an average of 3,030 county residents per month in 2019–20 and provided 559,298 meals countywide during that period.

Andrea Nix, chief operating officer for the Boys & Girls Club, requested $25,000 to support the Robersonville and Williamston centers and said both clubs "serve more than 250 young people each year, with more than 120 attending daily." Nix also announced that student Javion Andrews was selected as the 2021 Youth of the Year for the local unit.

Wesley Beddard, president of Martin Community College, requested $1,026,250 for current operating expenses and $60,000 for capital outlay. Beddard outlined new and proposed programs — including a Line Technician Academy, Fire Academy, teacher-preparation degrees and applied-technology offerings — and said the college expects approximately $719,000 in American Rescue Plan funds, with about half intended to go directly to students.

Other presenters and requests included: the Martin County Arts Council (Kathy Daly) requesting $8,500 and describing virtual programming and rentals for the Flatiron building; Roanoke River Partners (Charlotte Griffin) requesting $1,000 to support regional paddling and historic-site work including Hamilton Rosenwald School efforts; the Martin County Economic Development Corporation (Jason Semple) requesting $151,288 and reporting recent investment and job-creation figures; the Martin-Tyrrell-Washington District Health Department (Wes Gray, Vickey Manning) requesting $416,006 and describing ongoing COVID-19 operations; the Center for Family Violence Prevention (Sandra Rhodes, Brianna Ipock) requesting $3,750 and reporting 51 local victims served in 2020; BHM Regional Library (Patrick Fitzgerald) requesting $105,904 and outlining mobile outreach and digital access programs; and Choanoke Area Development Association (Sallie Surface) requesting $30,000 and reporting leverage of federal and philanthropic funds to serve hundreds of families.

Commissioners thanked agency representatives throughout the evening and Chairman Smith said the board would continue to support agencies "at some level." Commissioner Joe R. Ayers asked County Manager Bennett to prioritize in-house needs when preparing budget allocations. The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m. after a motion from Vice Chairman Dempsey Bond Jr., seconded by Commissioner David "Skip" Gurganus, and a 5-0 vote.

The board took no additional formal funding votes during the session; the presentations will inform upcoming budget deliberations.