Supervisors' notebook

Take it for granted
Supervisors voted unanimously to purchase a property from Keswick Builders to use as land for a new combined fire/rescue station on Route 20, pending a perc test.
The property fronts Route 20 and is between Route 621 and Salem United Methodist Church. The county will pay $70,500 for the 4.287-acre tract, and has applied for federal stimulus grant funding which could cover construction of the new station.
District 4 Supervisor Teri Pace said she though if a proposed Wilderness Walmart was moved farther west on Route 3, the county could receive special consideration when it came time to award grant money.
Or, by the same token, if the Walmart got the go-ahead to build as planned, Orange County would be cast in a negative light as far as state and federal officials (and stimulus money decision-makers) were concerned.
"I'm wondering if this board is willing to take the state up on its offer to find a better location for Walmart on the Route 3 corridor. I think in doing that, we would put ourselves very high on the list for federal stimulus money," she said. "I think that works in our best interest. If we ignore a national asset, I think we can guarantee that stimulus money won't come to us."
None of the other board members were willing to engage Pace in discussion about Walmart's location or about political strings being pulled or being cut, as it were.
Instead, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Lee Frame thanked Pace for locating the property. A condition of the grant is that once awarded, construction of the new station must be completed within 36 months.

Party like its 2009
Planning continues on Orange County's bicenterquasquigenary party.
Acting Orange County Administrator Julie Jordan (who's also the acting tourism director) said a tentative event structure is being drawn up, and party planners have batted about ideas for the county's 275th anniversary like a few words from a dignitary on the steps of the courthouse to mark the momentous occasion.
Jordan said festivities might include a color guard, patriotic musical performances, fireworks, and more. Better still, Jordan said the heads of states that were once part of Orange County-back 275 years ago when the boundaries were somewhat different-would all receive invitations to attend their erstwhile mother county's celebration. (Not without humor, Johnson suggested they remit their back taxes).
Jordan said schools could be involved: middle and high schoolers could compete for honors in a "Letter to Mr. Madison" essay contest.
And at the elementary schools, students could participate in themed art projects that depict Orange County 275 years from now.
There might even be an oral history project in which older county residents share their memories of Orange in days gone by.

Study buddy
The Orange County Planning Commission sent along a resolution to supervisors recommending that the board of supervisors accept the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition's offer to engage in a land use planning study to evaluate the effects of development in the Wilderness and surrounding areas.
Supervisors had no quarrel with the planning commission's recommendation.
"We've always accepted their offer to do a study," Burkett said. "We just said we weren't going to stop things while they're doing it."
"And if they started doing it when they first brought it up, they would have been done months ago," Johnson added.
The planning commission's resolution got yea votes from District 1 commission member Cory Redifer, from District 2 commission members Will Likins and Walter Smith, from Donald Brooks of District 3, from Tom Bundy and Terry Apperson of District 4, and from David Kovarik and Nigel Goodwin of District 5.
Bill Speiden and Elliot Fox, of Districts 1 and 3, respectively, voted against the resolution.

Fair pay
District 1 Supervisor Mark Johnson moved to give Acting Orange County Administrator Julie Jordan a raise, bringing her salary to $125,000 annually, retroactively effective July 3, and continuing until Jordan is no longer acting as administrator. The motion passed unanimously.

Better late than out of gas
County officials green-lighted a couple of contract renewals at the Orange County airport. One of those contracts was with Delta Airport Consultants, the firm heading up airport projects, including construction of a new terminal; the other contract involves airplane fuel.
Orange County Director of Public Works Kurt Hildebrand explained to supervisors that the base contract with Delta had already expired, and was up for actually renewal in January. Hildebrand's recommendation was to renew the agreement (for the third time) as a one-year agreement. Following supervisors' unanimous consent, the county and consultant partnership on airport improvements contract was extended until Jan. 1, 2011.
Likewise, a one-year contract to purchase aviation fuel expired Aug. 12, so Hildebrand asked supervisors to consider renewing the agreement with Eastern Aviation Fuels. Supervisors agreed unanimously to do so, but not without a moment or two of discussion about comparative shopping. Hildebrand said he'd recommend signing on once again with Eastern Aviation Fuels, but just for a year. In the meantime, there'll be no interruption of service for aircraft with fuel tanks on "E," but Hildebrand said he'd feel better doing a little research to make sure the prices and services offered by Eastern were the best value for the county.
Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the agreement with Eastern until Aug. 1, 2010.