October 21, 2002 - 10:30 AM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 123 MEETING OF THE JOHNSTON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS October 21 , 2002 The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in special session Monday , October 21 , 2002 , at 10 30 am in the Commissioners Meeting Room , Johnston County Courthouse Annex , Smithfield , North Carolina , with the following members present Present James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman , Cookie Pope , Vice Chairman , Thomas M Moore , Allen L Mims , Jr , Wade M Stewart , Fred Smith , and W Ray Woodall Absent None Also Present Rick J Hester , County Manager , Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board , Mark Payne , County Attorney , and John R Massey , Finance Officer The Chairman called the meeting to order and announced the purpose of the special session is to hear a presentation by the Johnston County Industrial Development Corporation concerning their proposal to construct a new Skills Training Center in the Clayton area 1 Request for Funding for a Skills Training Center in the Clayton Area Linwood Parker , chairman of the Johnston County Industrial Development Advisory Commission , thanked the Board for their ongoing support for the future of economic development in the County He pointed out the initiative being presented at this meeting is the direct result of the leadership of the Commissioners who in late 2001 appointed a committee to focus on the future of economic development , and the importance of keeping and expanding our pharmaceutical industry He noted that Johnston County has a five - sided economy that blends agriculture , travel & tourism , retail sales , manufacturing , homebuilding and the medical service industry , and is enhanced by the strong support of our local government and education system He introduced Ernie Ward , chairman of the Advisory Commission’s Education Subcommittee to update the Board on the plans for a new skills training center Mr Ward provided a chronological outline of the events that took place over the last ten months He especially thanked Commissioner Ray Woodall who was chairman of the Economic Development Futures Committee that met in February 2002 with representatives from the industries in the County to discuss their concerns Out of that meeting , the need for a better trained work force was identified , especially in the field of biotechnology At that time , John Pratt , general manager of Novo Nordisk made an informal offer of land for a training center The educational subcommittee then brought all the parties together in a summit to lay the groundwork for a facility that would provide specialized training based on the specific needs of the County’s industries With this goal in mind , an application was submitted for a Golden LEAF Grant for design of a facility , and earlier this month the Industrial Development Commission met with USDA Rural Development concerning a long - term loan Senator Allen Wellons voiced his support for this project and noted it would serve as a pattern that could eventually become a statewide program He stated he has talked with a representative from the Golden LEAF th Foundation and was told that although an announcement will not be made until November 7 , the request for a grant looks favorable Harry Payne , chairman of the Employment Security Commission , thanked the Board for considering this bold initiative during tough economic times He noted it is a wonderful compliment to the education and business communities in Johnston County to come together on this joint endeavor , and offered the support of the ESC in helping in the transition of these students into the work force Dr Jim Causby , Superintendent of Schools , stated it is estimated that by the year 2010 , the County will have over 30,000 students in the public school system This facility will provide a wonderful direction for students who have a strong interest in math and science He noted he anticipates a partnership between the public schools , Johnston Community College , NC State University , NC A & T University , and the pharmaceutical industry whereby students can begin focusing on biotech studies in their junior year of high school The senior year would be spent with one - half of their classes at the training center This concentrated study would count toward an associate degree at the Community College , and could lead to a bachelor’s degree at the University Page124 October 21 , 2002 Continued Michael deSherbinin , Economic Development Director , thanked everyone for their comments He pointed out that training is a major part of attracting and keeping industry Not only will the center focus on training those interested in a bio - technology degree , it will also provide training for the other two - thirds of the work force who fill the necessary support positions The goal will be to consider the needs of the industry and fill those needs He asked the Board to make a commitment for funding the construction of the facility and the maintenance and operation costs He introduced three of the bio - tech industry leaders and asked if they wished to make comments John Pratt , general manager of Novo Nordisk , pointed out it is difficult to find people for his industry Currently Novo spends at least nine months training an employee before they are able to perform their job With the proposed Center , the on - site training should be reduced significantly He stated that Novo hopes to work closely with the high schools and even have summer programs for younger students He assured the Board that his industry would develop and donate equipment for the center Neal Coles , Marketing Director for Fresenius Kabi , stated his company is glad to be a part of the planning of this facility , which will provide a highly trained work force for his industry Rick Barton , Human Resources Director at Bayer , noted the proposed training center will be tremendous help for his company Currently Bayer is spending approximately 500,000 yearly on training in Wake County , and the possibility of having this type of training in Johnston County is very exciting Linwood Parker recognized several others in the audience including Ken Bateman , Cooperative Extension Director , who was responsible for getting NC State and NC A & T interesting in working with the County on this project He asked if anyone else wished to say a few words in support of this project Sammy Jackson , representing the Hospital Board of Trustees and the Capital Area Work Force Development Board , spoke briefly about the Work Force Development Board and how the growth in the area is affecting the number of jobs in the area of health care He noted this facility will be another way to promote health care careers , and suggested additional training grant funds may be available through Capital Area Work Force Development Sam Lee , chief operating officer of the NC Grain Growers Cooperative , noted his organization is constantly looking for opportunities to find new crops Currently the State , working with a company in Germany , has found that the gel extracted from sicklepod can be used in a number of products , including some pharmaceuticals This plant , which farmers have always considered a troublesome weed , may end up being cultivated for its newly recognized value In addition , a method is being developed for crushing soy beans to extract soy oil , which can be used as an additive for diesel fuel He noted the Grain Growers Cooperative will definitely avail themselves of this facility Others who spoke in support of the proposed training center were Representative Billy Creech and Bud Andrews , Chairman of the Tourism Authority Donna Bailey - Taylor , executive director of the Visitors Bureau , was also present to lend her support In response to questions by the Board , Mr Parker noted the request to the County is for an annual appropriation of 250,000 beginning in FY 2003 This would be used for debt service of the USDA RD loan and for maintenance and operation of the center Hopefully there will be additional grant money available to help fund and grow the project in the future Commissioner Fred Smith moved the Board commit to support the proposed Skills Training Center with an annual appropriation of 250,000 Commissioner Cookie Pope seconded the motion Discussion Commissioner Smith complimented Mr Parker for his work on this project He noted it is a good example of private enterprise and government coming together for the good of the community He pointed , in his opinion , the reason Johnston County is in a position to make this commitment is because of our growing tax base and the fact that this Board has taken care of the taxpayers money Commissioner Thomas M Moore agreed , but stated he feels another reason the County is in the fiscal condition to be able to support this endeavor is because the Commissioners in 1997 98 considered the future needs of the County and were willing to do what had to be done by raising taxes He voiced his support for this project and noted it is a step in the right direction Page125 October 21 , 2002 Continued Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr thanked everyone who has been working on this project and noted he is pleased to see Johnston County again as a trendsetter The County has already taken a leadership role in school design , GIS and Communications He voiced his appreciation and continued support for the pharmaceutical industry and noted they are very good corporate citizens Commissioner W Ray Woodall and Commissioner Cookie Pope also voiced their support Commissioner Woodall stated he sees this as the beginning of even better things in the future VOTE The motion carried by unanimous vote Chairman Langdon thanked former Industrial Development Advisory Commission member , J D Solomon , who initially suggested an indepth study of economic development for the County There being no further business , Commissioner Cookie Pope moved the Board adjourn Commissioner W Ray Woodall seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote ________________________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman _____________________________ Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the BoardPage