DOBSON — At the end of a meeting last night that was reconvened for county officials to hear a presentation on water partnership projects, the county commissioners made a decision that could have a significant impact on the future of the Fibrowatt project.

After the water partnership presentation was over and officials from most county municipalities had left, Surry County Commissioner Jim Harrell Jr. made a motion for the county to not provide incentives to Fibrowatt, a company that turns chicken litter into a power source, unless the company makes a serious effort to address the concerns of county citizens.

The end of his motion read: “We feel that we provided Fibrowatt with every opportunity to prove to our county that they are a company that deserves incentives. We regret that they have been unsuccessful so far in convincing us and thus we believe that it is our duty to withdraw any offer of incentives to the company known as Fibrowatt unless there is significant change in their corporate behavior.”

The motion was approved unanimously by the commissioners present for the meeting. Commissioner Craig Hunter was absent, reportedly to attend a school event with one of his children.

Harrell brought up the topic of Fibrowatt at the meeting by saying, “I have some concerns about our relationship with Fibrowatt.”

As the commissioner representing the Elkin district, Harrell said he was concerned that a lot of the citizens of Elkin had questions about Fibrowatt that the company was not addressing.

“(The commissioners) don’t have the responsibility or the education or the knowledge to explain those things,” said Harrell.

The commissioner said he contacted Fibrowatt and gave the company three weeks to begin addressing concerns. Now, more than a month after the request was sent out, the company has failed to provide information. Harrell said he also sent the company a letter last April to request information but never received any.

Harrell said during his motion, “The behavior of Fibrowatt’s executives contradicts the original claim of openness in dealings that was presented by Fibrowatt. We find that Fibrowatt has ignored the serious concerns of our citizens and allowed a stress level to build within the community that has caused a significant number of people to have negative feelings toward their location in Elkin.”

The commissioners were still tweaking the wording of the motion up until the point that board Chairman Paul Johnson reconvened the meeting from a recess that took place after the water partnership presentation.

After the meeting, Johnson explained that the decision by the board was not made in an effort to slam the door on Fibrowatt, but to spur the company to action. Johnson said the commissioners will not take any action to approve final incentives for Fibrowatt unless the company makes the effort to provide the county with more information about the company and addresses the concerns of the citizens. The company and the county to this point have not been able to agree on a final incentive package.

The commissioners said they still think bringing Fibrowatt to the area would be a good move for the county’s economy.

Commissioner Jimmy Miller said to the Elkin officials that were still present at the meeting, “We wanted this to happen for you folks.”

Commissioner Bill Hamlin said he still thought the plant would be a good thing for the county, but that he had grown increasingly frustrated with the company’s failure to provide the county with information.

“We’re not air quality folks, we’re not scientists,” said Hamlin.

Todd Tucker, Surry County Economic Development Partnership president, has worked to bring new businesses to the area. After the commissioners’ decision, Tucker said, “Obviously we understand that Fibrowatt is a contentious issue in the Elkin area. We understand their decision.”

Lestine Hutchens, the mayor of Elkin, said, “I think it was the right move to make, and I think it was a courageous move to make.”

Hutchens said she had not expected to hear the commissioners make a decision on Fibrowatt last night. She said she came to hear the water partnership presentation, the only item on the agenda, then she happened to stay afterward.

Now the commissioners will wait to see if Fibrowatt makes a move to answer questions posed by citizens. Johnson said the commissioners have a tentative date to meet with Fibrowatt officials sometime next week.

Johnson said at the end of the night, “The ball’s in their court.”

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