SIX DARE COUNTY EMPLOYEES, representing a total of 145 years of service, were recognized at the February 6 Board of Commissioners meeting. Pictured from the left: Bettie Scarborough, tax customer representative II in tax mapping, received her 20- year pin; Al Midgett, detention assistant administrator with the sheriff’s office, received his 25-year pin; Rhonda Creef, veterans service officer/deputy clerk to the Board of Commissioners, received her 25-year pin; Clyde Gard, assistant public works director, received his 30-year pin; Beulah Ashby, customer service supervisor with the water department, received her 20-year pin; and Lt. Tony Duvall, deputy sheriff, received his 25-year pin.

ERIN PUTNAM Putnam is the Dare County Employee of the Month for February. Putnam, a telecommunicator I with the sheriff’s office, was recognized at the February 6 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting with a presentation of a plaque and nameplate. Lora Nock, assistant communications director and training officer with the sheriff’s office, was at the meeting to speak about Putnam and present her the plaque.

Putnam answers emergency calls at the Dare County E911 Communications Center. She has been with the communications department for more than 13 years, and is well respected for her ability to communicate effectively and compassionately with those who call with emergencies.

“Erin is a hard working employee who genuinely cares about the job she does,” Nock commented during the presentation. “She is compassionate with our emergency callers and goes the extra distance to prove she is not just another voice on the phone.”

Nock also commented on Putnam’s ability to form relationships with emergency responders so they feel comfortable with having her on their calls as well as her willingness to always be available.

“She is available to train, assist, and help whenever she is needed by the department,” Nock said.

Monday’s first-of-the-month meeting of the Dare County Board of Commissioners was brief as the real estate crash has led to fewer planning matters coming before the board.

Jenny Jones, head of the Hurricane Irene Mitigation Program which offers grants to homeowners whose houses were flooded to elevate their houses asked for permission to continue the project and this was granted. She said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is giving homeowners less time than usual to apply for these grants so those wishing to apply need to do so as son as possible. The number to call to get information is 475-5628. Earlier projects led to 42 houses being elevated, 97.5 percent of them in the 100-year flood plain. Three community meetings have been held to disseminate information, she said.

The board also unanimously approved  a shoreline fund expenditure policy. They were told that beach accesses must be included in shoreline plans to receive federal funding. They should be made available in two-mile intervals, but if the intervals are longer, more parking space must be supplied.

The board also approved vehicle and equipment financing, Finance director Dave Clawson  told them that the county’s bond ratings are a high AA, and recent bond sales were oversubscribed immediately. “The sale couldn’t have gone better,” he said. A preliminary budget amendment for these bonds was approved.

Com. Allen Burrus told the board that the new inlet formed during Hurricane Irene is closing, and others were also closing, causing problems for ferries. Com. Mike  Mike Johnson spoke against the proposal to put Atlantic sturgeon in the endangered list and to give several other fish gamefish status. He said recent fisheries meetings have pointed up the differences between commercial and recreational fishermen and that recreational fishermen have such a monetary advantage that it is becoming somewhat of a class struggle. He added that it is not right for four percent of the people to take a resource away from 100 percent.

The next meeting is set for Monday, Feb. 20, at 5 p.m.

JESSICA PHILLIPSs, office support specialist for emergency management and communications, is the January Dare County Employee of the Month. Sandy Sanderson, emergency management director, presented Phillips with the award at the January 3 board of commissioners meeting.

Phillips handles administrative tasks for both emergency management and E911 communications. She has worked for Dare County for 16 years, and has worked during numerous emergency situations during that time. She is head of the administrative arm of the Joint Information Section (JIS) which activates to manage crisis communications for the Dare County Control Group and all its member agencies during emergency situations. She handles many of the logistics of setting up the Emergency Operations Center when the JIS activates.

“She is the glue that holds my office together,” Sanderson commented during the presentation. “She treats everyone she encounters with the respect and professionalism that everyone likes to receive during an emergency.”

THREE DARE COUNTY EMPLOYEES were awarded pins for their service to Dare County at the January 3 board of commissioners meeting. Pictured from the left are: Greta Skeen, tax assessor in the tax office, who received her 20 year pin; Cindy Kelly, senior elections specialist with the elections office, who received her 15 year pin; and Michelle Harris, a detention officer with the detention center, who received her 15 year pin.

SGT. KEVIN DUPREY, Dare sheriff’s office,  is the 2011 Dare County Employee of the Year. Skeeter Sawyer, EMS Director and 2010 Employee of the Year, presented Duprey with his award at the January 3, 2012 board of commissioners meeting.

Duprey is the sergeant in charge of the narcotics division of the sheriff’s office, and has been with the department for 16 years. He has been working in the narcotics division for 12 years. As Ssrgeant in charge of the division, he supervises four narcotics investigators. In addition, his department has expanded to include two officers on temporary assignment from the Nags Head Police Department and the Kill Devil Hills Police Department.

ThenNarcotics division combats illegal drugs county-wide and has had several high profile drug enforcement operations over the past year. Those operations have resulted in multiple arrests and the removal of large quantities of drugs from the community.

Duprey is a member of the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SERT). SERT is a unit trained to operate in high risk situations. He is also responsible for the sheriff’s office firearms training and other officer safety programs.

“It’s a thankless job,” commented Sheriff Doug Doughtie of Duprey’s work while presenting Duprey with the Employee of the Month award in May. “It never ends. When he goes home, his phone continues to ring, and if he doesn’t answer it, someone gets in trouble somewhere.”

Duprey is a devoted family man. He lives in Manteo with his wife Millicent and his children Hunter and Meris. He is a member of Mount Olivet United Methodist Church and is involved in the Cub Scout Webelos.

Dave Clawson, Dare finance director, and a representative from the audit firm, reported to the Dare County Board of Commissioners on the annual audit at the board’s first meeting of the month and year Tuesday.

Clawson said the audit contained no management letter, which would have indicated troubles with county finances, and no findings in the three major funds. The audit was clean with no qualifications. There were only two problem: the emergency management service was over budget by $147,910 (1.9 percent) because of of mismanaged overtime and a deficit of $2.25 million in the self-insurance fund. Clawson said he had spoken to the EMS head and he will make sure this won’t happen again.

Revenues were better than expected, and there is $28,281,298 in the general fund fund balance (31.8 percent of budget). Tax collection is up to 98.88 percent from 98.38 percent last year. Sales tax was within $324 of budget, building permit fees increased 27.14 percent, expenditures were 44,776,881 under budget and carryover encumbrances only $420,130. Interest income was $595,298 under budget because of lower interest on investments, and the net income of the water fund was down 4.32 percent because of low interest rates.Outstanding bonds of $510,000 will be retired in fiscal year 2016, and the beach nourishment fund has a balance of $31.9 million, this before the payment to Nags Head for its nourishment project. Outstanding debt is $143,996,756, a decrease of $1.5 million. The county incurred costs of $4.1 million as a result of Hurricane Irene with FEMA bearing most of these costs; $273,606 has been denied and has been appealed. Food stamp demand is also up.

In other business, Anne Thomas, health department director, reported on the substance abuse treatment contract with East Carolina Behavioral Health, asking the board to approve a plan to require people who can to pay for their treatment. This request was made because a grant the county has been using to fund the New Horizons treatment center is no longer available, and this action will allow the patients’ insurance to pay. Com. Allen Burrus emphasized not putting dollars ahead of treatment and monitoring treatment as well as dollars. Thomas said the county could terminate the contract if if is not happy with the services provided. The board approved the contract by unanimous vote.

In an update on transportation, the board was told DOT plans to improve the ferry dock areas at Stumpy Point and the Rodanthe area, dredging so ferries can turn around and making the harbor entrance wider on the Rodanthe side. Burrus he did not want major changes to the community center property at Buxton and that the communities want to be included in plans as the project moves forward.

The board also approved a secondary road abandonment petition for 700 feet at the end of Baumtown Road in Wanchese, where only two people live. They had made the request to keep the road at that point private. The board also approved a request from Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department to burn a house adjacent to the Manteo library which is owned by the county.

Board appointments included: reappointment of Com. Richard Johnson to the Albemarle Commission; appointment of Judge Robert Trivette and Sarah Massey to the JCPC to fill vacancies; and reappointing Com. Virginia Tillett to the nursing home committee.

Being awarded service pins was Cindy Kelly, elections department, 15 years; Michelle Harris, detention center, 15 years; Greta Steen, county assessor, 20 years. Kevin Dupree, sheriff’s office, was named employee of the year and Jessica Phillips, employee of the month.

The next board meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m.’

CHERYL JOHNSON, information technology director for Dare County, recently graduated from the 2011 Certified Chief Information Officers Program at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government. Twenty-seven students completed the 240-hour program in 2011.

PAMELA HAY, pblic health nurse with the Dare County Department of Public Health, is the December Dare County Employee of the Month. Hay was presented the award at the December 5 Dare County Board of Commissioners meeting by Anne Thomas,health director.

Hay has been with the Dare County Health Department since February of 2000., and works in the Home Health and Hospice Division. She was trained as a nurse by the Navy, and according to Thomas, brought a great deal of experience to the job. She is big on doing things right.

“She traveled to many places around the world, and those travels and experiences allow Pam to relate to just about anyone,” Thomas commented.

Hay loves her work and enjoys working in homes with patients one-on-one. She is an excellent patient educator and according to Thomas, she individualizes her care so that each patient can achieve the best outcomes.

“Pam brings something to the table that just can’t be learned in books,” Thomas continued. “She genuinely cares and is concerned about all the patients she serves. They know they can rely on her for sound judgment and meticulous nursing care.”

Jim Trogdon of NCDOT  reviewed options for fixing Rt. 12 on Hatteras Island at the two breaches caused by Hurricane Irene at the first and only December meeting of Dare County commissioners. The options included beach nourishment, filling and paving the old roadway, moving the road west in one instance and building new bridges over the breaches. Public meetings were scheduled for this week to get comment on the alternatives.

Trogdon also told the board that construction on the new Oregon Inlet span to replace Bonner Bridge is scheduled to begin in about a year, January 2013. Com. Allen Burrus discussed the problem of erosion on the south end of the current Bonner Bridge, showing slides and suggested that DOT develop strategies soon for dealing with it.

The board also discussed the proposed schedule for 2012. Com. Mike Johnson suggested the board hold only one meeting a month, beginning in the afternoon with public comments at 5 p.m. Currently, the board meets twice a month, the first Monday of the month at 9 a.m. and the third Monday at 5 p.m., giving the working public a chance to attend one meeting. Several meetings recently have been short, he said, and fewer meetings would be a convenience for members of the board who work a day job. County attorney Bobby Outten said the only problem with this was that public comment would come after business items were voted on, so the public would have little effect on them. The two-meeting-per month schedule was approved by unanimous vote.

The board also approved several tourism board requests for expenditures from the short term and long term restricted funds: : $100,000 for an exercist trail from the justice center to the new bridge to Manns Harbor; $25,000 for signage for the N.C. Scenic Byway; $150,000 for a park across from Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head; $27,000 for repairs at the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station site; $100,000 to pay for a master plan for the Windmill Point site; and$13,000 to hire an event promotions and marketing assistant.

Appointments or reappointments were made: to the Board of Equalization and Review, Dare County Youth Council, Oregon Inlet and Waterways Commission, Special Motor Vehicle Valuation Review Board, and Tourism Board.

The board unanimously re-elected Warren Judge as chairman of the county board and Allen Burrus vice-chairman. Judge was appointed to represent the county board on the COA board of Directors.

During commissioners comments. Com. Mike Johnson apologized for a comment he made during the heat of activities surrounding Hurricane Irene when he made  reference to “greedy realtors.” He also discussed a youth hunting program on county land that he heads, referring to recent newspaper comments. He said those  chosen for the program were chosen by pulling a name out of a hat or by judging essays, and it wasn’t cronyism. He said he did not break into a building at the landfill, that he had a key,  but on the time mentioned, it was already unlocked. The board voted to put the program in the parks and recreation department to avoid any more misunderstandings.

Com. Burrus said the question of golf carts on the roads in Buxton needed to be addresed for safety’s sake. He also said the county needs to look at better ways to get people on and offf the island in weather emergencies and that some part of the occupancy tax should be used to this end.

Com. Richard Johnson suggested the county look into self-insuring travelers for lost days when they rent rooms or cottages in the summer. Apparently some travel insurers are threatening not to offer that insurance on Hatteras Island after paying out $10 million after Hurricane Irene.

Outten told the board he needs direction on whether to pursue a certification for the medical helicopter, which is undergoing extensive maintenance. He said such certification would allow the county to receive insurance money for transporting patients. He and the board reiterated that anyone needing air transport in a medical emergency would always receive it, regardless of ability to pay.

The next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 3.