At last night’s meeting, the Surry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to transfer property on Old Highway 52 in the Long Hill Township to the Greater Mount Airy Habitat for Humanity.

Although the resolution had been presented to the board a few meetings ago, the process of conveying the land to Habitat was postponed after the death of the Habitat director. The county waited for a formal request from Habitat before transferring the property.

County Manager Dennis Thompson presented the request from Habitat for Humanity during his report on general county business. The board voted unanimously to approve the transfer. Commissioner Jim Harrell Jr. was not present at the meeting.

The land will be used for low- to moderate-income housing units. According to the letter, Habitat plans to construct five homes on the property within a three-year period.

During the open forum at the beginning of the meeting, Nan Atkins addressed the board regarding the property. She said a couple had requested to purchase the property for $30,000 but were rejected by the county. A resident of the neighborhood, Atkins argued that giving the property away would burden the taxpayer and that the $30,000 would have covered the unpaid taxes and the cleanup of the property. The commissioners later addressed this issue during discussion of the formal letter from Habitat.

“With five houses to be constructed and developed, the tax base that will be created off of that will be, I’d say, three to four times higher than what the value of the property is now,” said Commissioner Craig Hunter.

Commissioner Paul Johnson added, “I think it’s, you know, the humanitarian thing to do. You’re helping other people, but at the same time, you’re creating a tax base that will be there forever.”

Commissioner Bill Hamlin is part of the Habitat for Humanity board, but he was not the one to suggest the property donation to the organization. He said, “I think it’s a good thing. It’s going to be a good thing for the county.”

Also during the meeting, the board approved a low bid of $524,890 from Carolina Environmental Specialists to lay 16,000 feet of 12-inch and 8-inch water mains for the Elkin-Gentry Road water line. This water line will service industrial and residential customers along the road. The low bid fell below estimates by Hobbs, Upchurch and Associates and was recommended by the engineering firm.

Near the beginning of the meeting, Darren Rhodes with the Division of Community Assistance gave a PowerPoint presentation to the board regarding the Mitchell River area. A number of members of the Mitchell River Planning Board Subcommittee were also present.

The county’s land use plan designates this part of Surry as a rural conservation area. The committee has suggested several amendments to the land use plan and zoning plan to help protect the area. The Mitchell River also has been designated as an outstanding resource watershed by the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission.

One suggested change to both the land use plan and the zoning ordinance is to extend the buffer on outstanding resource waters, such as upper Mitchell River, from 50 feet to 75 feet from each riverbank. Residents hope this will help further protect the river from adverse impacts of development.

Other proposed amendments to the land use plan include limiting commercial development within the Mitchell River Special Planning Area to areas of existing commercial activity; discouraging the creation of subdivisions of six lots or greater on parcels adjacent to the river; and requiring new parcels to be at least five acres in size or to follow an open space design.

The commissioners will hold a public hearing at their first November meeting.

Dick Everhart, who long served as a district conservationist, said, “I think it’s really remarkable how that community has pulled together and stayed involved.”

Adam McComb, parks and recreation director, spoke next to the board regarding the recommendations by the recreation advisory committee, totaling $29,320, for this year’s Recreation Incentive Grants. The board approved all but three of the grant applications and put conditions on one grant. These grants will allow various community groups to complete recreation projects over the next year. Recipients of the grants were Veterans Park, SKATE Mount Airy, Union Cross Ruritan Club, Westfield Ruritan Club, Westfield Booster Club, Lowgap Community Center, Shoals Community Recreation Committee, and Westfield Ruritan Club.

The board went into closed session at the end of the meeting to discuss personnel, economic development, legal, and property matters.

Other actions during the meeting included:

n The board approved a low bid by Fashion Floors for $12,922 to replace the gym floor at the White Plains Gym. The Parks and Recreation Department was not prepared to meet the request. Remaining recreation incentive grant funding will be used to complete the project, as well as money in the budget for the White Plain property and general fund contingency.

n Sandra Snow, human resources officer, introduced Michael Scott to the board. Scott is the new veterans service officer for Surry County. Commissioner Johnson expressed appreciation for the new officer and for those who planned the meet and greet with him that took place last week. Johnson said the event was well attended.

n The board presented a certificate of recognition to Jimmy “Bo” Miller Jr. for winning the National Lefty-Righty Amateur Golf Championship. Kevin Atkins, the other member of the team, was not present at the meeting. Seventy teams from the United States and Canada competed in the championship. Miller and Atkins defeated the national champions from last year.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or at 719-1952.