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The Weekly Report showcases the activities and accomplishments of the many Departments

within Rutherford County Government. Click on the directory lists, headings and text in blue to be linked to more information.

Department Directory

Agriculture/Cooperative Extension

Airport

Board of Elections

Building Inspections

County Manager

County Commissioners

Economic Development

Emergency Medical Services

Fire Marshal

Finance

Human Resources

Information Technology

Library

Public Works and Planning

Register of Deeds

Revenue

Senior Center

Social Services

Soil and Water

Solid Waste

Transit

Tourism Development Authority

Veteran Services

Weekly Report

Highlight of Departmental Activities

April 23, 2018

Agriculture/Cooperative Extension

Jeff Bradley

• Worked with beef cattle producers to begin putting together tractor

trailer loads of value-added preconditioned feeder cattle that will be

sold in June through the Mountain Cattle Alliance.

• Shipped a load of Mountain Cattle Alliance cattle valued at $70,000.

By marketing cattle through this value-added alliance, producers col-

lectively gained an additional $10,000 above normal market price.

• Set up a demonstration plot for seed head suppression in a fescue pas-

ture (pictured on page 2).

• Fescue seed heads have negative effects on livestock performance and

this demonstration is for farmers to see techniques of how to reduce

the negative effects of the fescue seed head.

• Continued to provide technical assistance to livestock producers

through phone calls, office visits, emails and site visits.

Hannah Bundy

• FMNP training update for 2018

• Polk County Friends of agriculture breakfast

• MG field trip at Appeldoorn Landscape Nursery

• McDowell County food council meeting

• Certified Plant Professionals course planning

• Chimney Rock Earth Day celebration

Tracy Davis

• Submitted monthly news column and radio spot.

• Met with Extension & Community Association (ECA) to plan recruit-

ment event.

• Conducted nutrition programs: 521AN for Rutherford Life Services,

4th grade garden program, and Better Food Better Health.

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Agriculture/Cooperative Extension continued from page 1

Photos: On Wednesday, Direc-

tor Jeff Bradley set up a demon-

stration plot for seed head sup-

pression in a fescue pasture.

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Agriculture/Cooperative Extension continued from pages 1-2

Stephanie Rzonca

• Farmers Market Nutrition Program training in Raleigh at State Farmers Market 4/18

• Radio promotion through WAGY 4/20

• Planning for weekly farmers market programming

• Weekly email newsletter to farmers market attendees and vendors

• Farmers Market 4/21

The Farmers Market is open this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Many farmers with produce, garden

plants, meat, and pet dairy will be there! The Circle B Barbecue food truck will also be providing break-

fast and lunch options!

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Animal Control

Animal Control Weekly Update

Total animals taken in

48

Animals adopted into forever homes

7

Animals sent to rescued groups to be vetted and adopted into forever

homes

36

Animals returned to owners

9

Calls completed

77

Animal Control:

• received a donation in memory of Marie Saine.

• picked up our weekly donation of dog food from Wal-Mart.

• received two donations of dog food and one donation of cat litter from the public.

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Board of Elections

Director and staff:

• conducted three poll worker training classes.

• participated in webinar with the State.

• set-up for Early One-Stop Voting.

• processing registrations and party changes.

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911 Communications Center

Call Summary

Rutherford County Communications

240 N. Washington Street

Rutherfordton, NC 28139

Report Date: 04/08/2018 to 04/14/2018

Total 911 Calls

Total Admin Calls

Total Calls

874

2,344

3,218

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County Manager and Commissioners

Listed are several events, meetings, and activities in which the County Manager, Commissioners and staff

were involved with the following individuals, departments and businesses:

• Planning and Projects

• NCACC

• Rural Broadband meeting

• Budget preparation

• DSS Board

• Chief Court Counselor

• PANGAEA

• WR Martin

• Solid Waste

• Opioid Overdose Response Plan meeting

• Human Resources

• Senior Center

• TDA Coffee Talk

• Pick It Up RoCo Event

• Keep Rutherford County Beautiful Committee

• Spindale Town Manager

• Lions and Dragons Meet and Greet - in support of veterans and their families

Other activities and events this week included Forest City, Spindale, and Chimney Rock Town Council

meetings, meetings with citizens, numerous calls, interoffice meetings, conference calls, public relations,

advising, and preparation for various responsibilities.

County Commissioners have resolved to commit revenue from a slight local sales and use tax increase to

help fund critical education facility needs for Rutherford County. The increase is one-quarter of a penny -

that means $1 spent will only be taxed an additional $0.0025. Have questions about the tax referendum or

the education facility needs? Contact us today.

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Human Resources

Fire Marshal/Emergency Management

Finance Department

The Finance Office processed accounts payable. Several interdepartmental meetings were attended by di-

rector and staff.

The HR Director:

• held meetings to discuss personnel issues, exit interviews,

and retirements.

• met with representatives from ISA.

• conducted Library interviews.

• attended the second half of Leadership 360 training (pictured

below and on page 9).

Director Debra Conner and HR Specialist Brooke Watson attend-

ed the NC Department of Labor Safety Banquet on Tuesday

evening. They were recognized and received a Certificate of

Safety Achievement for outstanding safety and health efforts of

Rutherford County personnel (pictured right).

Reminders:

• Blood drive May 9th

• Wellness Fair May 17th

Fire Marshal and staff:

• conducted two structure fire origin and cause investigations.

• received and reviewed fire district budgets.

• attended Western North Carolina Firefighters Association meeting.

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Human Resources continued from page 8

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Human Resources continued from pages 8-9

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Human Resources continued from pages 8-10

State Health Plan Advisory on Reported Scam Phone Calls

(All Members)

A small number of State Health Plan members have reported re-ceiving scam phone calls from peo-ple asking for personal information such as Social Security numbers. These phone calls are not coming from the State Health Plan and if you receive one you should not provide the caller with any personal information. The Plan, as a precaution, is working with our vendors and local authorities to determine the sources of these calls and if any member information is at risk. If so, we will inform Plan members as more information becomes availa-ble. Representatives of the State Health Plan will always identify themselves when they call you and they will never ask for your full Social Security num-ber over the phone. The security of our members’ information continues to be our top priority.

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Information Technology

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Library

New Books New DVDs

Claimed by Alexa Riley

Garden Perennials for the Coastal South by Barbara J. Sullivan

Music, Menus, & Magnolias

Artful Entertaining

All About Palms by Paul Craft

Settings on the Dock of the Bay

The Art of Catching and Cooking Shrimp by Lynette L. Walther

The Art of Catching and Cooking Crabs by Lynette L. Walther

Beauty in the Broken Places by Allison Pataki

Green Sun by Kent Anderson

We Own The Sky by Luke Allnut

The Road Home by Beverly Lewis

The Fallen by David Baldacci

The First Family by Daniel Palmer

The Family Gathering by Robyn Carr

All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson

Hear My Heart by Billy Graham

Eunice by Eileen McNamara

Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes

Outlander season 3

Resident Evil

Barbie as The Island Princess

Planes: Fire and Rescue

The Tale of Tillie’s Dragon

Erika Woody (Haynes Branch)

What’s Been Going On:

• Practicing our upcoming crafts

• Attended the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway

(pictured on page 14) • Made owls for PJ Masks (pictured right)

What’s Coming Up:

• Styro-Framed Art, Monday, April 23rd @ 3:45 pm

• PJ Masks Gecko Craft, Tuesday, April 24th @ 3:30 pm

• National Superhero Day, Saturday, April 28th 10 am-1 pm:

Come dressed as your favorite superhero and receive a prize

• PJ Masks Cat Craft, Monday, April 30th @ 3:30 pm

• Story Time, Tuesdays @ 10:30 am

• Build It Club, Tuesdays @ 3:30 pm

• ISpy, all month long

Joy Sharp (Mountains)

• coordinated and attended a Pizza Party for the 5th Grade Book Club at Lake

Lure Classical Academy. The group just finished their book selection and

loved “Fish in A Tree”!

• assisted a patron with setting up her tablet and account for downloading

books from the NC Digital Library.

• selected and ordered new contemporary Easy Reader biographies for begin-

ning readers. We now have books on ballerina Misty Copeland, Women

Who Launched the Computer Age, NASA scientist Katherine Johnson, Olympic athlete Jesse Owens

and astronaut Mae Jemison.

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Library continued from page 13

Maria Davis (County)

Maria has worked this week to finalize flyers for the

Summer Reading Program and Maker Camp and has be-

gun requesting quotes from local businesses for copies. We plan to distribute a flyer to every Kindergarten

through 5th grade student in the county. We are so excited for both programs this year!

Maria hosted a resume class Tuesday using Cypress Resume through NCLive. This is the easiest resume

program we have ever seen and gives great results!

Tamara Edwards (County)

This week we had “frogs in the pond” themed preschool story time at all three branches. We learned about

frogs and even played some leap frog.

I planned for a “teddy bear” themed story time for next week as well as a night time teddy bear story time

at the Rutherford County Library for kids to put on their pajamas, bring their favorite teddy bear and hear

some fun bedtime stories.

We worked on plans for our next tie dye event. And I have continued to work on our summer reading

plans.

Erika Woody (Haynes Branch) at the

Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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Joy Sharp (Mountains)

• coordinated and attended a Pizza Party for the 5th Grade Book Club at Lake Lure Classical Academy.

The group just finished their book selection and loved “Fish in A Tree”!

• assisted a patron with setting up her tablet and account for downloading books from the NC Digital Li-

brary.

• selected and ordered new contemporary Easy Reader biographies for beginning readers. We now have

books on ballerina Misty Copeland, Women Who Launched the Computer Age, NASA scientist Kathe-

rine Johnson, Olympic athlete Jesse Owens and astronaut Mae Jemison.

Don’t forget our Blackout Poetry & Pizza program on Tuesday, April 24th at 4:00 p.m. Ages 10 and above.

Stephanie Long (County) Circulation Manager completed the following tasks this week:

• submitted order cards for patron book requests

• worked with other staff members to edit summer reading/maker camp flyer

• selected book donations to be sent to the Little Libraries

• processed new book arrivals, including:

The Fallen by David Baldacci

The Family Gathering by Robyn Carr

Bad Men and Wicked Women by Eric Jerome Dickey

The First Family by Michael Palmer

• cataloged and processed several new DVDs, including:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (season 1)

All in the Family (2nd season)

The Big Bang Theory (2nd, 3rd, & 4th seasons)

Boy Meets World (season 3)

Chesapeake Shores (season 2)

The Coroner (season 1)

LBJ

The Office (season 2)

Supernatural (1st season)

Victoria (seasons 1 & 2)

Kenneth Odom (County)

Kenneth finalized plans and ordered supplies for this summer’s Maker Camp. In addition to Maker Camp

for 8-12 year old's, this year we will be introducing Maker Clubs for both teens and adults.

If you enjoy tinkering, building, coding, designing or any other form of making then make plans to join us

for some great activities.

Library continued from pages 13-14

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Library continued from pages 13-15

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Library continued from pages 13-16

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Library continued from pages 13-17

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Register of Deeds

The Register of Deeds office works with the public everyday and continues to give prompt, courteous

and accurate service.

Transaction Group

Totals

Certified Vital Records

168

Marriage Licenses

8

Recorded Deeds

113

Recorded Deeds of Trust

46

Recorded Certificates of Satisfaction

36

Recorded Various Other Documents

53

Oath Given to Notary Publics

5

Recorded Plats/Surveys

3

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Senior Center

The AARP Tax-Aide preparation season officially ended Friday, April 13. This was our largest and most

successful year with a total of 1,003 people served:

• Federal returns 563

• Married filing jointly 230

• Questions and answers 210

A very special THANK YOU to all the wonderful volunteers who made this program such a success this

year:

• Joan King, local coordinator

• Amideus Athougies, state coordinator

• Forest Carpenter

• Jim Cole

• Loretta Cook

• Mae Freeman

• Don Lesher

• Johnny Lingo

• Doug Melton

• John Moore

• Linda Stonecash

Tammy Aldridge and Debbie Conard attend a conference sponsored by the NC Division of Aging and

Adult Services in beautiful Blowing Rock, NC on April 11 – 13th (pictured below). This was Module 4

“Senior Center Planning, Evaluation, and Governance” of the Ann Johnson Institute for Senior Center

Management. The conference garnered a lot of helpful information and invaluable networking with peers

from senior centers throughout the state.

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Senior Center continued from page 20

Senior Games officially began April 10th with a Balloon Release, fun walk, and lighting of the torch. Af-

terwards all senior games participants enjoyed special games and popcorn. Liz Blanton lit the torch to of-

ficially “Let the Games Begin” (pictured below).

Seniors enjoying the FUN WALK…..

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Senior Center continued from pages 20-21

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Sheriff’s Office

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Soil & Water

Solid Waste

Customers served

443

Loads hauled from Centers

66

MSW loads to Lenoir

40

Recycling loads to Conover

3

Tire customers

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Director James Kilgo:

• attended and participated in Science Expo meeting at ICC

• worked on reports.

• attended Leadership 360 Training.

Tony Bumgarner and Eddie Motte:

• attended Leadership 360 Training.

• met with vendors.

Office staff was busy taking care of customers, running reports and helping where needed. Alma

Resendiz had her first group touring the recycle and transfer station, and assisted the 6th grade Science

Expo at ICC.

The staff at the transfer station has been busy processing MSW with extra trash that has been coming

in, recycling tonnages, and stacking and wrapping electronics. Shop staff continues to perform mainte-

nance on equipment and vehicles.

C&D staff have been busy processing C&D tonnages coming in while hauling dirt for daily cover. The

airport staff continue the grass and grounds maintenance.

Please continue to recycle.

The District Administration and Education Specialist worked on:

• District meeting minutes and Supervisor Travel.

• Farmland Brochure and program update paperwork.

• Preparation of soil baby materials, kits and display information for Chimney Rock Earth Day celebra-

tion.

• Education lessons and information for Enviroscape classroom visit.

The Resource Conservation Administrator:

• attended Leadership 360 Training at Annex

• Involved in Farm Visits for inspection and Request for Payment

• attended the Science Expo at ICC for 6th graders

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Tourism Development Authority

Visit our website for a full list of events and times at: timeofyourlifenc.com or call our Welcome Center

at 828.287.6113. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact Taylor Hardin, Admin-

istrative Assistant for the TDA at 828-287-6013 or by email at taylor.hardin@rutherfordcountync.gov.

If you need to pick up travel guides for your business or you would like to be added to the newsletter dis-

tribution list, please contact Project Manager Karen Tegen at 828-287-6130 or by email at

kren.tegen@rutherfordcountync.gov.

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Transportation Services

EMS:

EMS held monthly crew meeting this week and discussed the upcoming national EMS Appreciation

Week. EMS Appreciation Week will be May 20-26. Director Giles met with Rutherford Regional’s

Emergency Department Director to discuss collaborative efforts and the upcoming World Equestrian

Games. Staff also continue to work with the Sheriff’s Office in regards to tactical paramedic training and

joint efforts for the rescue task force. Viper radios are currently being installed in all EMS vehicles as well

as mobile units. EMS plans to move forward with full implementation in the coming months. Administra-

tion is also working on implementing a full automated inventory control system for medical supplies. This

new system will allow for auto restocking, alerts for expiration dates and employee distribution con-

trols. Call volume for the week is as follows

Transit:

Operations Manager attended an online webinar training on the Collective Data software that Maintenance

Department uses to create work orders and track vehicle maintenance. Transit Director met with a compa-

ny hired by TIEC (who is managing the attendance logistics for the WEG in September) to discuss some

possible parking locations that may be beneficial for handling the projected large number of visitors in the

area. Operations Manager completed orientation with three new part-time drivers, and will complete their

training to be available for revenue service. Transit Staff is coordinating with Creative Bus to arrange de-

livery of five new transit vans in the next couple of weeks. Director, Operations Manager and Office Coor-

dinator attended a webinar and discussion on Managed Care that is scheduled to be implemented incremen-

tally by region throughout the state starting in 2019.

TYPE

CURRENT WEEK

Emergency Calls

176

Non-Emergency Calls

30

TYPE CURRENT

WEEK

WEEKLY AVG

Total Miles

8,469

9,206

Local Trips

1,239

1,122

Out of County Trips

44

89

Unduplicated Passengers

200

215

Total Revenue

$17,507

$20,097

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Veteran Services

Report for this week:

Assisted veterans in the past week with claims, benefits, and other services: 58

Faxes sent for veteran claims, pension, compensation and records: 76

Resa Thompson, Veteran’s Officer, attended the Spring Conference

in Greensboro, NC last week. Resa is now fully accredited to better

serve our veterans (pictured right).

The North Carolina Association of County Veteran Service Officers

had 136 in attendance for the conference (pictured below).

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United States Flags at Half-Staff in Honor of Barbara Bush Immediately

through Sunset Saturday, April 21, 2018

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DEATH OF BARBARA BUSH

– – – – – – –

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On this solemn day, we mourn the loss of Barbara Bush, an outstanding and memorable woman of character. As a

wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, military spouse, and former First Lady, Mrs. Bush was an advocate

of the American family. Mrs. Bush lived a life that reminds us always to cherish our relationships with friends, fami-

ly, and all acquaintances. In the spirit of the memory of Mrs. Bush, may we always remember to be kind to one an-

other and to put the care of others first.

As a mark of respect for the memory of Barbara Bush, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitu-

tion and the laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the

White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval ves-

sels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and

possessions until sunset, on the day of interment. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same

period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military

facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of April, in the year of our Lord two

thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.

DONALD J. TRUMP

# # #

http://halfstaff.org/united-states-flags-at-half-staff-in-honor-of-barbara-bush-immediately-through-sunset-saturday-

april-21-2018/

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May 12, 2018

Summey Park (FC-Dunbar track)

9:00 -10:00

(More scheduled walks will continue throughout 2018-2019.)

We will move our walks to the Rail Trail as soon as it is available. We appreciate the Town of Forest City

providing Summey Park as a perfectly nice back up venue in the meantime. We invite you to join us on the

walks. No pre-registration is required. We would love to see your smiling faces each month as we and our

local physicians work to make Rutherford County a healthier place to live!

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GET YOUR KIDS OUTSIDE THIS SUMMER! Camp Muddy Sneakers is a nature day camp for rising

1st - 7th graders, and will be held in Rutherford County on July 9th - July 13th! Don't miss out on this

opportunity for your kids to enjoy this fun and educational day camp! Our Outdoor Programs Director,

Dana Bradley, will be one of the camp instructors.

Camp runs from 9 am until 4 pm each day. Campers will need to be dropped off at Isothermal Commu-

nity College (ICC) in Spindale between 8:45 am and 9:00 am each day.

Nature Explorers (1st - 3rd graders) will explore the ICC trail system at the college. Each day will have a

different theme and campers will enjoy games, art activities, nature play, and more! The trail system at

ICC was built by ROC members and offers a safe and beautiful learning environment. Trail Blazers (4th -

7th graders) will explore the trail system at ICC, as well as other local trails, while learning about nature.

Each day will have a different theme and campers will enjoy activities based on the topic of the day, par-

ticipate in active trail/field games, and will have fun exploring our local trails in Rutherford County. The

cost for the week of camp is $299. Some scholarships are available.

For more info or to sign up, visit www.CampMuddySneakers.org.

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THERMAL BELT RAIL TRAIL UPDATE

The Trail Partners are happy to announce several exciting mile-

stones that are taking place right now:

• Demolition work to remove the rail & cross ties will be

completed by the end of April. You will also see some seeding

and grading beginning along the trail as we welcome the warm-

er weather.

• The County Commissioners approved a contract with Ruth-

erford County bases Site Development Corporation to begin construction on the 13

mile corridor in May!

• We have a logo! Dozens of us have come together with Artifacturing to make a brand

that is impactful and timeless. Please look for this as our official mark on all signage

and publicity materials!

We would like to thank RHI Legacy Foundation for their work to financial support this

project. Stay tuned for more updates as the construction begins.

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County Commissioners County Office

Bryan A. King, Chairman Alan Toney, Vice Chairman Hazel Haynes, Clerk to Board

Michael Benfield, Eddie Holland, Greg Lovelace Richard Williams, County Attorney

Follow us online! www.rutherfordcountync.gov

County Manager Steve Garrison

Kimberly Aldridge, Weekly Report Editor

828.287.6060

Saturday 4/21: • Foothills Conservancy - Fonta Flora Bike Adventure: 10 am at Fonta Flora Bike Trail at Lake

James State Park. RSVP is required by calling (828) 437-9930 or emailing

info@foothillsconservancy.org

• Earth Day at Chimney Rock State Park: 11 am - 3 pm on the Riverwalk in Chimney Rock

Village.

• Friends of Chimney Rock State Park - Rainbow Falls Hike: 3 pm at the Old Rock Café,

Chimney Rock. See http://friendsofchimneyrockstatepark.org/ for more information.

• Sun, Moon, and Stars - Statewide Star Party: 7 pm at Lake James State Park - Paddys Creek

Area. Call (828) 584-7728 for more information.

Sunday 4/22: • ROC Pink Beds and Looking Glass Falls Hike: 9 am at Rutherford County Office Building,

289 N Main Street, Rutherfordton. Contact ROC for more information and to RSVP.

• Earth Day Hike to Blue Rock Mountain: 1 pm at Chimney Rock State Park - Ticket Plaza.

You must pre-register by calling (828) 625-1823 or by emailing chimney.rock@ncparks.gov

• Boat Tour: 10 at Lake James State Park - Paddys Creek Area: East Shelter. Call (828) 584-

7728 for more information.

Sunday 4/29: • ROC Summits and Full Moon Hike: 3:30 pm at County Office Building, 289 N Main Street,

Rutherfordton. Contact ROC to RSVP. *Note: We will arrive back in Rutherfordton late,

around 10 pm

Sunday 5/6: • ROC Paris Mountain State Park Hike: 8 am at Rutherford County Office Building, 289 N

Main Street, Rutherfordton. Contact ROC to RSVP.

Email us at trails@rutherfordoutdoor.org or call (828) 351-3235 if you would like to sign up for

any of the ROC workdays, clean-ups, or group hikes/river floats.