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2021-09-20 Regular Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 214 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met in Regular Session on September 20, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. in the Assembly Room of the New Hanover County Courthouse, 24 North Third Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chair Julia Olson-Boseman; Vice-Chair Deb Hays; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.; Commissioner Bill Rivenbark; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Pastor Ron McGee of Rock Church provided the invocation and Commissioner Zapple led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA Chair Olson-Boseman requested a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion: Commissioner Zapple MOVED, SECONDED by Vice-Chair Hays to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. CONSENT AGENDA Approval of Minutes – Governing Body The Commissioners approved the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on September 7, 2021. Appointment to The Healing Place of New Hanover County Board of Directors – Governing Body The Commissioners approved the appointment of Louise Coggins to The Healing Place of New Hanover County Board of Directors for a one-year term, to end at the annual meeting in 2022. Approval of July 2021 Tax Collection Reports – Tax The Commissioners accepted the tax collection reports of New Hanover County, New Hanover County Fire District, and New Hanover County Debt Service as of July 2021. Copies of the tax collection reports are hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and are contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 12.1. Adoption of Budget Amendments – Budget The Commissioners adopted the following budget amendments amending the annual budget ordinance for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022:  Museum 22-011  Public Health 22-008, 22-009  Sheriff's Office 22-007 Copies of the budget amendments are hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and are contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 12.2. REGULAR ITEMS OF BUSINESS CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE WILMINGTON AREA REBUILDING MINISTRY (WARM) FOR 25 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE CAPE FEAR REGION Vice-Chair Hays stated it was her honor to read into the record the resolution recognizing WARM for 25 years of service to the Cape Fear region. She commended WARM for its continual dedication to the community and region and read the resolution into the record. Hearing no further discussion, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for direction from the Board. Motion: Vice-Chair Hays MOVED, SECONDED by Chair Olson-Boseman to adopt the resolution recognizing the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry (WARM) for 25 years of service to the Cape Fear region. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. A copy of the resolution is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and are contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 12.3. PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION FOR THE APPROVAL OF AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT PURSUANT TO NCGS 158-7.1 Chair Olson-Boseman stated that the public hearing is to receive comments on appropriations and expenditures for economic development and economic incentive agreements. The source of funding for the agreements will be from the general fund of New Hanover County (County). The purposes of economic development and economic incentive agreements are to increase the population, taxable property, agricultural industries, employment, industrial output, or business prospects for the County. The economic development payments being NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 215 discussed are for an incentive agreement with a software development firm for Project Manage that would result in expenditures of up to $120,000 over five years in annual payments of $24,000. This incentive is to assist Project Manage in creating 104 new jobs over five years with an average salary of at least $80,000. She then asked for direction from the Board to open the public hearing. Motion: Commissioner Barfield MOVED, SECONDED by Vice-Chair Hays to open the public hearing. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Chair Olson-Boseman invited Scott Satterfield, Wilmington Business Development (WBD) Chief Executive Officer to speak on the request. Mr. Satterfield stated that WBD has been working with Project Manage, a platform software developer and existing business in the County, which has been here for several years. The business currently has 100 jobs and is looking to double its workforce and to pay very meaningful wages in the technology sector. It is a great operation and excellent company with low turnover rates. WBD is excited about encouraging them to continue to grow in Wilmington. The state of North Carolina is also agreeing to offer participation in this project as well as the community college system. The project has been vetted through the state, which has looked at the financials and agreed that the company is something that the state would like to pursue. Again, this is an excellent existing industry and one WBD would like to see grow. Project Manage does have to maintain confidentiality for reasons related to incentive agreements with the state. WBD would like for the County to participate in a performance based incentive grant that will require the company to create the referenced number of jobs at the referenced salary levels over a five-year period. The same request will be made of the City of Wilmington to help encourage this project. In response to Board questions, Mr. Satterfield confirmed that if Project Manage is unable to make the new hires over the five year period it will not receive funds from any of the participants, including the County, as it is a performance based incentive agreement. Commissioner Barfield stated that job retention with companies that move to this area do not occur by happenstance. It happens because this community has been intentional, and he has watched WBD work over the years to put the right formula together to bring jobs to this community. He expressed appreciation to Mr. Satterfield and his team for the work they are doing for the community by bringing jobs to the area. He also thinks it is great that people who moved here to go to school can stay in the community due to WBD working to bring in companies like Live Oak Bank and Castle Branch. He asked that WBD continue to work to bring jobs to the community and employ people that are part of the southeastern region. Hearing no further discussion, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for a motion to close the public hearing. Motion: Commissioner Zapple MOVED, SECONDED by Chair Olson-Boseman to close the public hearing. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Hearing no further discussion, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for direction from the Board. Motion: Commissioner Barfield MOVED, SECONDED by Vice-Chair Hays to adopt the resolution approving the economic development appropriations and expenditures based on the finding that the appropriations and expenditures will increase the population, taxable property, agricultural industries, employment, industrial output, or business prospects of the County. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Chair Olson-Boseman stated that Staff is directed to do any and all things necessary to finalize the economic incentive agreement. A copy of the resolution is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and are contained in Exhibit Book XLIII, Page 12.4. PRESENTATION OF SERVICE AWARDS AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEES County Manager Coudriet recognized the following employees receiving a retirement award: Derrick Williams, Sheriff’s Office, retiring with 16 years of service Chair Olson-Boseman presented the retirement award to the retiree and the Commissioners expressed appreciation and thanked him for his years of dedicated service. County Manager Coudriet requested the following employees to step forward to receive service awards: Five Years: Ruby Rhodes, Facilities Management Francis Acanfora, Parks and Gardens Ten Years: Amy Thornton, Cape Fear Museum Cory Hugus, Social Services Linda Brothers, Finance Fifteen Years: Maria Brown, Social Services Twenty Years: Carla Turner, Public Health Twenty-Five Years: Susan Pless, Sheriff’s Office NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 216 Chair Olson-Boseman presented a service award to each person and the Commissioners expressed appreciation and thanked each one for their years of dedicated service. County Manager Coudriet requested the following new employees to stand and be introduced: Taylor Antczak – Social Services Brianna Holton – Public Health DeAnna McColm – Social Services Anna Penny – Social Services Kimberly Van Lanen – Public Health Marissa Wiater - Human Resources The Commissioners welcomed the employees to County Government and wished them success in their new positions. UPDATE ON FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA, WILMINGTON NOURISHING FAMILIES Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina Executive Director Beth Gaglione and Wilmington branch board member Matt Rogers, Ph.D., provided the following update:  A New Food Bank at Wilmington:  Food Bank of Center and Eastern North Carolina service area and branches:  The Food Bank at Wilmington and the local need:  Partner with 100+ local partner agencies  Distributed more than 13 million pounds of food last year including 4.5 million pounds of produce  More than 36,000 people in New Hanover County (NHC) are food insecure including 1:5 children and 1:4 seniors.  Our Partnership:  NHC is investing $375,000 over five years (FY 20/21 – FY 24/25) in the new facility  Non-County Agency Funding: $45,000  Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place for the Food Bank to provide up to 5,000 hot meals/day for NHC in a disaster  Active participation on the NHC Emergency Food and Feeding Task Force  Wilmington Strategic Initiatives:  Project Timeline:  Groundbreaking: January 2022  Construction: 10-12 months  Ribbon cutting: November 2022  Project Management: Cameron Management Company  Architect: BMH Architects  General Contractor: WM Jordan Companies  Project Funding:  $7 million committed:  $250,000 City of Wilmington  $20,000 Pender County NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 217  $1 million each from Bruce Barclay Cameron Foundation, Bill Cameron Family Foundation, and nCino  $500,000 from Food Lion  $250,000 each from Liberty Healthcare and the Cape Fear Memorial Foundation  $750,000 in the proposed NC House budget championed by Representative Ted Davis In response to Board questions, Dr. Rogers explained that the commercial kitchen will be approximately 2,000 square feet. In addition to being used for disaster feeding, it will operate to provide café meals, senior feeding meals, etc. and eventually be used to teach individuals how to cook for themselves. The total property site is five acres but not all of it is buildable as there is a creek on the site, and the facility will occupy roughly two acres of the site. There are also plans to install a large community garden so people can also learn to grow their own food. A partnership has been created with the local NC Cooperative Extension office to manage the garden, help to educate people how to grow, produce, and cook foods and for sale in the grocery. Vice-Chair Hays expressed appreciation to Ms. Gaglione, the Wilmington branch board of directors, and volunteers for moving the project forward. It will be a great addition to the community. A brief discussion was held about the facility being in a food desert and the new grocery model. Dr. Rogers explained that the Food Bank serves its partner agencies. There are times when a person may come in who needs food and that need is met at that time, but they are directed to the appropriate agency to be able to access that resource on a more stable basis. The community is not served by the Food Bank in that manner; however, the grocery model is new for the entire food bank industry. Commissioner Zapple commended Ms. Gaglione, the Wilmington branch board of directors, and volunteers for their work. Regarding his questions about volunteer opportunities continuing in the new facility, Ms. Gaglione stated not only will that continue, but the space will be much larger than the current facility. It has its own area and will not be in the middle of where the food is being moved around the facility. Volunteers are currently coming in four to five days a week and the hope is to expand that to a regular set of five days a week. Refrigeration will be nine times what is available in the current facility, the racking will be multi-story, etc. The facility is going from 12,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet and as such, and the pallet space is enormous. Commissioner Barfield thanked Ms. Gaglione and her team for the update on the new facility. He noted that he has visited the current site many times to see the work that is being done. It made perfect sense for the County to invest $375,000 for the new facility and for that investment to be used as leverage and encouragement for other organizations to make investment in the new facility. He has been impressed that it is the hub for its area partners to make sure that the food is distributed throughout the County so that those in need have access to it. It is expensive to buy healthy, fresh, and good quality food and he appreciates the Food Bank’s help to fill the need. The addition of Marlowe Foster as the Senior Vice-President of Development and Business Strategy to the organization is wonderful and he has truly been a tremendous advocate for the Food Bank prior to joining it. The Food Bank is doing great work and he looks forward to the County working with the organization going forward. Ms. Gaglione expressed appreciation for the opportunity to provide the update and for the County’s support. Although food banks have been about feeding the line and have been for a long time, the aim is to shorten the line and be about solutions to hunger. The marketplace spoken about earlier is believed to be a focused effort to be a part of the solution. It is understood the organization will need to be flexible in the effort. She acknowledged recent comments in the community that some people are not looking for a charitable solution necessarily, but for a market solution. The hope is that the Food Bank can provide both well and she and her team continue to look to the County for its support and guidance in doing that. Chair Olson-Boseman thanked Commissioner Zapple for spearheading this effort and Ms. Gaglione, Dr. Rogers, and their team for their work to bring the new site to fruition. UPDATE ON SCHOOL SAFETY AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION AND SUPPRESSION Chair Olson-Boseman recognized New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) Board of Education member Stephanie Kraybill and asked County Manager Coudriet to provide the update. County Manager Coudriet stated that he does not have a formal presentation and he does not think there is enough to offer yet. However, it was committed to the Board when it made available some of the $350 million held in escrow, that staff would keep the Board and by extension, the community, informed of conversations that have taken and will take place. One of the more obvious topics was the one where, from a staff perspective, persons who were convened last week were felt to have content expertise in school safety, both hardscape and people centric. There were 31 people in the room, inclusive of parents, principals, teachers, not just the traditional administrators, to ensure that what is being created is an opportunity to hear from those that are most directly associated with operating a school daily. It was made clear in that meeting that while the conversation was specific to schools that day, no one is framing this as a school safety problem in and of itself. What happened three weeks ago at New Hanover High School (NHHS) was a symptom of a larger community problem, and that is how staff is framing it and that is clearly the directive of the Board. It was felt it would be irresponsible to not convene a conversation specific to schools because it did happen, and there is a recorded history in this country of violence in schools. Improvements can be made and there are things that could and should be done. County Manager Coudriet further stated that he wanted to ensure that the Board and community understands that there are community engagement conversations taking place. He has been party to any number NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 218 of conversations other community leaders in the nonprofit space have had, which are ongoing conversations. Also, without putting too much of a light on it, staff did have an organized community meeting the evening before the school safety specific meeting. He will not be reporting out on it, because of the need to make sure that staff is creating the right space for people to come forward and tell their lived experiences and understand that the solutions to these problems are going to be led by the folks who have the most direct involvement in that lived experience. There will be a regular cadence to that type of meeting that will continue, but there will also be organized community meetings to ensure that the Board and others have an opportunity to hear regularly and consistently from the community at-large about what they view the problems to be and what the solutions are. As it relates to last Friday's meeting, he and NHCS Superintendent Dr. Foust agreed the focus of the conversation should be on the hardscape improvements, people centric things, what more can be done, and what is not being done for students, teachers, etc. inside of schools. As it relates to hardscape opportunity, the group was reminded during Friday’s meeting that there is a safety audit that the school system has done on more than one occasion and by the observation of most, the appropriate number of resources probably have not been applied over the course of time. In years past bond proceeds, capital funds, and lottery funds have been used to make school improvements. He does not know that anyone could set forth the idea that the safety audit done by experts in that field has then been worked by the teams to be able to say “...these are the things that we can do on the perimeter of our schools working inward to keep them safe and secure.” County Manager Coudriet noted that Chief Facilities Officer Sara Warmuth stated during Friday’s meeting, “We can have beautiful facilities that are also safe and secure for the people who live in them or work in them.” This does not necessarily mean the obvious things that people are defaulting to such as metal detectors and fencing. He also noted that Judge Corpening was clear in saying those solutions would have moved the problem slightly within the space that it occurred, but it was not preventive in and of itself. To that end, the st security audit needs to be reviewed to make sure that things being funded in the mid-21 century are what work for mid-21st century risk. It will be worked on; he has a copy as provided by the superintendent and it will be made available to the Board. However, he does not view that it as a public document so he is declaring that upfront because staff is not interested in sharing the playbook with people who may intend or want to do the community harm. While it will not be shared publicly, it will be made available to the Board. One thing that was also discussed as a hardscape improvement is communication within the school system at-large, and how to monitor what is happening on school campuses, and what is happening in near proximity to school campuses. With all sorts of available technology, it is not always that someone picks up the phone and lets you know of a pending crisis. It happens, but there are other forms so, the question becomes how to build a platform and a system that allows for monitoring of pending threats and crises that are oriented towards the school, but also, can be seen happening. This is being framed as communication, not in the traditional sense, but awareness and alert around what is happening at school facilities. During the meeting he observed something that no one disagreed with, and others validated it in discussions, which was that there were individuals who knew that something was going to happen on that Monday morning. Not that it was going to rise to the level of someone being shot, but in fact, there was chatter on social media. Officials need to be aware of that and understand that the traditional way of informing someone of a problem is not what it used to be when someone could report a problem to their parent or principal. Chief Diversity and Equity Officer Linda Thompson has emphasized we have to look at social media as the platform where people are posting what is happening. Insight is being given on the front end and it should be monitored so action can be taken. He believes there is an emphasis in working with the Board on how to build that system. It will take people and it is going to take systems. The other element that became very pronounced in the conversation is in the middle of an event, whether it is what happened Monday three weeks ago, or what happened on Friday during the meeting, or other things that require or prompt a school to go on lockdown, there are communication limitations because of technology. Principals and administrators need to be put in a position to always be able to keep their children and teams safe and secure, but to also make sure they understand the criticality of sharing and communicating outward with parents and others what is happening and done in real-time. There are actual structural communication challenges because of how the facilities are built in that they are large and thick, and some of the technology is not necessarily equipped to make that as easy as it should be. It is believed there will be a very pronounced discussion amongst the group of 31 and others about what things can and should be recommended to the Board. It is important to note that these priorities came mostly from the individuals that are closest to these occurrences daily. Again, the composition of the group was created to give those individuals the microphone, to take charge, and to set the frame and content of those discussions. County Manager Coudriet explained that as it relates to people-centric and what was discussed Friday is in most ways exactly what was discussed Thursday evening, from a different lens, but nonetheless, people-centric, problem identification, allocation of resources, solutions, driven by people who understand that lived environment daily as compared to others who that are administrators. It is good to have administrators, but administrators are not the problem solvers. What was clear is that there are systems of support across this community and there would be no one to suggest otherwise. What must be done is a better job of unifying those systems of support that exist for varied reasons, for different problems, but nonetheless, need to be addressed. The best description he can offer, which he heard on Thursday as opposed to Friday, but it is the same idea, there is need to have that unification of services with a focus on case management to ensure that families and children who are identified for support service and make it easy for them to access, give them the platform to follow up, and continue to access those resources. That is case management and there is the need to ensure wrap around support, that the children and families are being followed throughout the entire journey and linking them with the resources that are there and are necessary. It was felt that with mental health support services among others, but with the keen focus on mental health, that a good job is being done and County Manager Coudriet thought that the people directly with the school system would NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 219 acknowledge a good job is being done as it relates to children in the facilities. A better job can be done of continuing the support when they leave school, but the attention has not been put on the whole family unit to ensure that parents have access to the resources that they need to help deal with their own family trauma and certainly those of their children. The third element is to be much more intentional about including diversity of students and faculty at the table to identify opportunities in school plans. More intentionality must be done to ensure there is diversity in plans that are created, and there is engagement with a diverse set of persons, both students, families, and service providers on feedback about what is working and not working. County Manager Coudriet thought that reflects the people-centric things that were discussed. Chair Olson-Boseman thanked County Manager Coudriet for the update and open the floor to Board discussion. Commissioner Rivenbark stated that one of the most interesting statistics he has heard is that approximately 80% of the people that are in the NHC jail did not graduate from high school. He felt if help could be given to people to get them to graduation, they could go on to take courses such as the ten-week lineman course at Cape Fear Community College. Recently 46 people graduated from the program and right after the ceremony went across the hall to be hired by companies with most starting off with a $50,000 salary. It is important to help people get to that point. Commissioner Zapple asked that County Manager Coudriet explain what the next steps are and when will there be some specific initiatives. He and others in the community are looking for some specifics. County Manager Coudriet responded that the team has been very aware and clear on that guidance and at each meeting talked about how there is a need to be viewed as doing things. A lot of studying has been done and that is why no one is suggesting that we go back and start over on any of these things, but to take what is known and move forward. The things that do not work, set those aside. As it relates to the security audit, a review of that began on Friday and at the end of the meeting he was in a position to receive a copy of it. He feels that it will be sooner rather than later that he and the group will be able to talk about what some of those investments look like and the security audit is probably where the most obvious investments will come from to begin with. There is a lot of coordination, particularly as it relates to services that must take place. One of the things not only from Friday, but also Thursday, which was acknowledged is the need to get the service providers in the room to talk about what are they doing, where is the overlap, and is the overlap appropriate? Also, what needs to be discussed is how to take the friction out of it if it is not appropriate and ensure that everybody understands the things that are being done. He thinks that is another immediate step that will probably happen in the next couple of weeks and will likely not play out in the public square. What can be done immediately is a much better job of coordinating services and understanding what is there. He also thinks as it relates to some of the monitoring and what is happening on the campuses, everyone must get really clear on what are the technology abilities, what is it that the schools need, and what others does it involve. It does not have to be a school based function, but it is focused on school security. The longer term investments are generally in the people-centric place. He does not know when the group will be able to lay out an immediate strategy on that, but he feels good about where the group is. A lot more is known today than three weeks ago. Again, immediate work can begin on some things and if someone wants to create a deadline, they will work to that. Chair Olson-Boseman stated she along with Commissioner Zapple attended to observe the meeting and she was encouraged by the progress that has been made. The truth of the matter is that most of the specifics cannot be discussed in public beyond general terms to not only keep children safe but the entire community. The open and honest dialogue and already developing solutions moving forward was very encouraging and she expressed appreciation to County Manager Coudriet for him and his team’s work and getting the group together. County Manager Coudriet responded that he appreciated Chair Olson-Boseman communicating what was said in that room. He fears that the community is going to think nothing is being done because the fact is that several people involved in the discussions have no interest in participating if it means a camera is in their face and judgment on them and their ideas. There are some safety components that cannot be publicly discussed, and he is sensitive to that and expressed appreciation to the Board for what it is doing. When it is obvious, it is going to be obvious. All are going to have to take on perspective of being comfortable not saying what is being done differently. There is going to have to be an element of trust in the people driving the discussion. He is not asking the Board to trust a county manager or a finance officer or anyone else, but to trust the people who are framing and guiding these discussions. If one believes in the principals, teachers, and the people who lead the nonprofit community, and he thinks that all involved do, then trust that they are giving what they believe is appropriate and necessary to stabilize to then use other resources long-term to grow and move as the community grows and moves. Vice-Chair Hays expressed appreciation to County Manager Coudriet for what she considers to be a very good overview. As she sees the support and element of this is safety in the schools and safety in the community. This is a community and issue and needs to be addressed as such. She feels he has laid out a short-term focus, a mid- range focus, and a long-term focus and is the correct approach. She understands people want to see action, but she believes that the group is moving that forward. There will be some tangible items that they can see, but first and foremost, it needs to be understood that this is about safety and with that comes some confidentiality. Regarding County funding, Commissioner Barfield stated that he thinks the media picked up one statement and then ran with it saying the County is spending $350 million. The reality is the County is not spending $350 million, it is accessing the funds to put towards this matter. Every time he turns on the news, he hears this and either somebody was not or were not listening. He is also glad to hear County Manager Coudriet talk about diversity and inclusion with the people at the table. The thing that was glaring to him during Friday’s joint meeting was that of all the people sitting at the table, there were only two people of color sitting there, himself and the superintendent. Everyone must be intentional about making sure that there is true representation of all ethnic groups and NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 220 backgrounds during these discussions in this community. It is important that everyone listen as well, and he fully believes that the young man's parents did reach out to someone but were rebuffed. It is important to always listen intentionally, and not allow intentional bias or implicit bias to guide our directions. It is important when people say things to you that it is taken to heart because one never knows when someone is reaching out and crying out for help. It is important from law enforcement to school administrators, to teachers, to boards that make policy, that all are listening intently and intensively to make sure that what is being heard is what is needed to be heard and then, act appropriately and not just rebuke people when things happen. He is glad to see the County is getting there, but he is looking for action. He would like for the County to look at the Durham/Bull City model to advance the needle for young boys and girls in this community to provide other opportunities for hope and to engage with those families. Also, part of the next steps is having people work with them to help get from point a to point b and having community engagement and helping people. He knows that with the elementary schools that were recently built, such as College Park and Blair, based on the assessment several years ago with safety measures in place to keep visitors out, the wrong folks out and the right people in. Again, he appreciates the work County Manager Coudriet is doing. His discussion with County Manager Coudriet prior to Thursday’s meeting was about his concern there would not be any elected officials there. However, he tries not to go to those things so as not to influence the conversation one way or the other. He appreciates the work that was done and looks forward to the next steps. Chair Olson-Boseman stated that she does not think people talk much about the LGBTQ+ community. She is counting on Chief Diversity and Equity Officer Linda Thompson on this front and has personal experience as her son is in middle school and has told her he refers to himself as he, him, they. She is working to try to understand it but is so concerned with the bullying and what may happen next. She hopes these children will not be forgotten. She feels it is important to not forget that it is not just color. All means all, and she requested that County Manager Coudriet not forget about everyone else, too. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Appointment to the New Hanover County Adult Home Community Advisory Committee Chair Olson-Boseman reported that up to nine vacancies exist on the New Hanover County Adult Home Community Advisory Committee with one application available for consideration. Chair Olson-Boseman nominated Shirley T. Fowler for appointment to the New Hanover County Adult Home Community Advisory Committee. Vice-Chair Hays seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for a vote on the nominations on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to appoint Shirley T. Fowler to the New Hanover County Adult Home Community Advisory Committee with term to expire March 31, 2024. Appointments to the New Hanover County Board of Examiners of Electricians Chair Olson-Boseman reported that two vacancies exist on the New Hanover County Board of Examiners of Electricians with two applications available for consideration in the Independent Electrical Contractor category. Chair Olson-Boseman nominated Russell F. Carlson and William Loeber for appointment to the New Hanover County Board of Examiners of Electricians in the Independent Electrical Contractor category. Vice-Chair Hays seconded the nomination. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for a vote on the nominations on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to appoint Russell F. Carlson and William Loeber to the New Hanover County Board of Examiners of Electricians in the Independent Electrical Contractor category with terms to expire September 1, 2023. Appointments to the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Community Relations Advisory Committee Chair Olson-Boseman reported that two vacancies exist on the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Community Relations Advisory Committee in the categories of At-Large and Civil Rights Community with one application eligible for reappointment and ten additional applications available for consideration. Chair Olson-Boseman nominated for reappointment Liz Carbone in the At-Large category. Commissioner Zapple seconded the nomination. Chair Olson-Boseman directed the Clerk to the Board to readvertise for the Civil Rights Community vacancy. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for a vote on the nomination on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to reappoint Liz Carbone in the At-Large category to the New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Community Relations Advisory Committee with the term to expire September 30, 2024. Appointments to the New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council Chair Olson-Boseman reported that six vacancies exist on the New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council in the categories of Business Community, Faith Community, and At-Large with one application eligible for reappointment and five additional applications available for consideration. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 REGULAR MEETING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 PAGE 221 Commissioner Barfield nominated for appointment Edwrin Sutton in the Faith Community category. Chair Olson-Boseman seconded the nomination. Commissioner Zapple nominated for reappointment Wanda Marino and for appointment Justin Ovaska in the At-Large category and Vernita Ozolins for appointment in the Business Community category. Chair Olson- Boseman seconded the nominations. Hearing no further nominations, Chair Olson-Boseman asked for a vote on the nominations on the floor. Vote Results: The Board voted UNANIMOUSLY to reappoint Wanda Marino and appoint Justin Ovaska in the At- Large category, appoint Vernita Ozolins in the Business Community category, and appoint Edwrin Sutton in the Faith Community category to the New Hanover County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council with the terms to expire September 30, 2023. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Chair Olson-Boseman stated that no one signed up to speak on non-agenda items. ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS OF BUSINESS County Manager Coudriet reported that last week was a tough week in terms of overall COVID-19 numbers. It was one of the highest numbers of deaths in the community and two of those being people most in this room knew both personally and well and who had direct influence on county government. However, there are early indicators that things are starting to improve a bit. The percent positive in August was over 14% and at the end of last week/start of this week was just a little bit above 11%. While still high, the trend is in the right direction. By close of business tomorrow, 80% of County employees will be vaccinated against COVID-19. The required weekly testing started last week for about 343 persons, and they need to be tested every seven days. The County has the testing system in place with the intention to make it as easy as possible on the employee. It is taken very seriously and if an employee is not vaccinated, that employee must submit to testing. Due to being a big enough pool, he can share that because of testing, someone was identified as positive that works near others who are critical to the ability to do an important function of county government. The testing protocol has saved the organization in one department just in a week. In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated that he understands that as of this morning the hospitalization numbers have reduced from a high of 136 to 63. It is another metric that is being watched. Primarily being watched are the percent positives, hospitalizations, and then the overall pervasiveness in the community. Commissioner Barfield stated that his thoughts and prayers go to the families of NHC Sheriff’s Office Captain MacAlpine who passed away on Friday due to COVID-19 and former Assistant County Manager Patricia Melvin who served the County extremely well for several years. He encouraged those in the community that have not been vaccinated to take it seriously. He has lost several people he personally knows from COVID-19 who were averse to getting the vaccination. It is very important for people to take it seriously, protect themselves, and their families. Family members are being left behind trying to figure out how to move forward. Chair Olson-Boseman expressed appreciation for the chair of The Healing Place of New Hanover County Board, Inc. speaking with her. She attended her first board meeting last week and the board is excited about the prospects for the new executive director that should be hired before the end of this year. Construction is running behind, but otherwise everything else seems to be moving forward very well. Commissioner Zapple reported that the USPCA National Patrol K9 trials are taking place here for the first time and being hosted by the Sheriff’s Office and run through Thursday of this week. Also, Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen visited Cape Fear Clinic where the monoclonal antibody treatment is being administered. It is a treatment for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been a close contact. The treatment can reduce or eliminate COVID-19 symptoms if received in the first 10 days of exposure. There are 186 treatment centers in the state. No insurance is necessary and ability to pay is not considered. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 10:30 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting. The entire proceedings are available online at www.nhcgov.com.