April 25, 2000 - 5:30 PM - County Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes (Special)

10 116 April 25 , 2000 Special Called Meeting The Johnston County Board of Commissioners met in Special Session with the Johnston County Community College Board of Trustees on Tuesday , April 25 , 2000 , at 5 30 pm at the Howell Woods Environmental Learning Center located on Devil’s Racetrack Road , Four Oaks , North Carolina , with the following members Present Cookie Pope , Vice - Chairman , Eleanor N Creech , Thomas M Moore , Wade M Stewart and Allen L Mims , Jr , Absent James H Langdon , Jr Chairman , and Jerry F Wood Also Present Rick Hester , County Manager , Joyce H Ennis , Clerk to the Board , John R Massey , Finance Officer , and Mark Payne , County Attorney The Vice Chairman called the meeting to order Community College Presentation Dr Don Reichard , president of Johnston Community College , recognized Joan Johnson , chairman of the Board of Trustees Ms Johnson welcomed the Commissioners and staff She explained the college has prepared a long - range strategic plan , and appreciate this opportunity to share this information Both she and Dr Reichard thanked the Board for their support of Johnston Community College Dr Reichard went over the ten institutional goals and three strategic areas of emphasis which were adopted by the Board of Trustees on March 16 , 2000 He also went over plans for adding new curriculum by the fall of 2002 Included in the proposed programs are a number of new health related courses and courses in technology He presented drawings of the present campus and pointed out immediate and long range expansion plans to provide additional space He noted that according to a Facilities Utilization Study , the enrollment at the college is projected to increase by 24 percent by 2010 Currently the college has a space deficit of 122,710 square feet , which is expected to escalate to 213,850 square feet by 2008 Cost estimates to provide the additional facilities over the ten year period range from 21 to 30 million , depending on the amount of actual growth He broke down the proposed construction into four phases with the first phase of a PE classroom being funded with the 3 million , which was approved in last year’s bond referendum Phase II of the plan would include a 10 million Advanced Technology Center that would be built in conjunction with the public school system and will be shared by the two entities He stated , it is his understanding , that the cost of this construction is included in the Board of Education’s facilities plan The remaining projects in Phase II would be a new Truck Driver Training Automotive Technology Building , and several addition and renovation projects to existing facilities The total cost is projected to be approximately 18,248,667 Removing the 10 million joint project , that would leave 82 million , which the college plans to ask for in a future bond referendum Phase III and Phase IV would include approximately 108 million in projects that would be completed as funding is available Dr Reichard noted that much of this funding can come from State money that requires local match at a 58 to 42 percent ratio He noted the good news is that they already have local match funds available , since the donation of Howell Woods and other charitable donations can be counted In addition , they plan to borrow approximately 12 million to implement a guaranteed energy savings program , and these funds can also be local match for State monies For the FY 2000 - 2001 budget , Dr Reichard presented the following requests Capital Outlay - 726,265 , and current expense - 1,855,406 Concerning the Capital request , which is considerably more than the current year’s allocation of 330,000 , he stated the Board of Trustees understands that due to restraints on the tax dollar , the County will most likely not be able to fund the entire amount He asked the Board to seriously consider appropriating at least 400,000 as the college has a backlog of repair needs He also asked the Board to encourage State Legislators to continue funding renovation and repair money to Community Colleges Page117 Howell Woods Dr Reichard introduced James Sasser , Director of the Howell Woods Environmental Center Mr Sasser presented an overview of the facility and the number of programs and activities offered He pointed out the property , which was a gift from Mr Rudolph Howell consisting of approximately 3000 acres , is being used as an “ outside classroom ” and is managed for the benefit of wildlife , educational opportunities and low impact outdoor recreation The property borders the Neuse River and contains many acres of hardwood forest as well as approximately 150 acres of cultivated fields and 100 acres of pasture and fallow fields In addition to a number of programs , classes , scientific biological research projects and other activities , the Learning Center can accommodate groups for conferences , workshops and exhibits Camp sites are available and are used regularly by local scouts Plans are to continue improving this unique facility with the goal that within three to five years it will be self - supporting Arboretum Dr Reichard spoke briefly on the arboretum which is currently being developed He noted the project , which has appeared to be at a standstill , is now moving forward and will soon become a showcase for horticulture In conclusion , Dr Reichard asked if any of the Trustees or Commissioners had any questions or comments Lyn Austin noted she was especially pleased with the joint venture with the high schools and stated she and the other Trustees would welcome any suggestions the Commissioners might have concerning new directions the college could take to enhance their programs Dr James H Ellerbe noted the Trustees are very aware of the demands on County funds , and wanted to share this information so the Commissioners would know the long - range plans for the Community College Vice Chairman , Cookie Pope , suggested she would like to see some type of program at Howell Woods for youth offenders She thanked Dr Reichard and the Board of Trustees for their presentation and noted that both Chairman James H Langdon , Jr and Commissioner Jerry F Wood were unable to attend this meeting due to illness Board members individually expressed their appreciation of the many accomplishments of the Community College and voiced their continued support for the future Following discussion , Commissioner Eleanor N Creech moved the Board adjourn Commissioner Allen L Mims , Jr seconded the motion , which carried by unanimous vote _______________________________________ James H Langdon , Jr , Chairman _____________________________ Joyce H Ennis , ClerkPage