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Courthouse construction on track The lights are scheduled to be turned on this week in the new Clay County courthouse building, according to county manager Paul Leek. In a report to the board on Thursday, Leek said work on the building is continuing with an expected completion in April or May of this year. Leek said the concrete slab for the new jail has also been laid and brickwork around the exterior of the jail will soon be in process. The cinder block work on the interior of the jail cannot begin for another eight weeks, awaiting materials, according to Leek. Also, the preformed cells for inside the jail are not scheduled to arrive for another five weeks, Leek said. The state has approved contractors to begin work on a new county transportation building that will be situated behind the courthouse, close to the cell tower. Construction of the building will come from state grants with no cost to the county. The county provides the land at the site, which meets the 10 percent match for the grant, according to Becky Smith, director of transportation. The transportation building will be 2,000 square feet and is scheduled for completion in June of this year. In other matters, the board of commissioners approved a request from Tighe White to allow an easement from the River Walk development onto a nearby walking trail that is accessible to the general public. The board appointed commissioner Harry Jarrett to both the Smoky Mountain Mental Health Board and to the NC Association of County Commissioners. The board deferred action on the adoption of the Travel & Tourism By-Laws pending a revision of a provision that would establish payment for the Tourism board secretary. The general consenus of the Board of Commissioners was that the Travel & Tourism Board, like other volunteer boards should not provide compensation for any of its members. The board listened to a presentation from Partners for an Attractive Clay County, which is conducting a survey on how county residents feel about keeping the county attractive.
During a public comment session following the commissioners meeting, the commissioners heard suggestions about the feasibility of starting a skate board park for teenagers; the use of planting more native plants on county property; the need to provide financial information to the public regarding budget amendments (i.e. when new positions are funded, where is the money coming from), a briefing from Sheriff Joe Shook, which included action he has taken to increase the visibility of officers and patrol cars throughout the county and a concern from Hayesville's Mayor Harrell Moore about increased land fill fees from 3 to 3 1/2 cents a pound for garbage that the town sends to the landfill, which he says will strain the town's budget.
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