County to trash two convenience centers
The imminent closure of two of the county’s convenience centers has left officials working to find a replacement site that will be convenient for residents in the affected areas. The county has been unable to renegotiate the leases for the Harrison Ferry center on Highway 8 and the Fairview community center.
According to County Executive Kenneth Rogers, Hubert Boyd, who owns the land at the Harrison Ferry center, has indicated he no longer wants a convenience center on his property. Jack Rubley, owner of the Fairview center property, has asked for a monthly fee. Health and Welfare Committee chairman Wayne Pryor said landowners at the other convenience centers basically donate their land.
“Maybe we’ve got a dollar for a 10-year lease,” Pryor said. “Something to that effect.”
Since the monthly fee would amount to several thousand dollars over the life of the lease, which is generally around 10 years, the county has opted to move the center.
Rogers and sanitation department director Steve Hillis are currently in negotiations with the Wright brothers to put an expanded convenience center at the site of the old rock quarry on Highway 56.
“They have about 40 acres there,” Rogers said, “but we sent them information last week on getting an acre-and-a-half to try to put up a site equal to, or better than, over at the fairgrounds, for that side of the county.”
Even though negotiations have just begun, Rogers feels optimistic.
“It seems pretty favorable right now,” he said.
Though the current plan is to replace the two centers with one centrally located facility, Commissioner Bill Yancy brought up an alternative to closing the Harrison Ferry center.
“I was approached by Dwight O’Neal,” Yancy said, “and he said that he would let us put up a site on his land.” O’Neal’s land is a short distance from the current site owned by Boyd.
Yancy said he had talked to a Harrison Ferry resident who was not happy with the change.
“The one I talked to said it would be just about as close to just go on into town,” Yancy said.
Pryor commended O’Neal on his offer, but added that the county would be moving the center even further up the mountain, something it was hoped could be avoided.
Hillis then pointed out the advantage of replacing the two centers with one expanded facility.
“These convenience centers, they cost some money to set up,” Hillis said. “If we could get one site there and get it paved, and now I know the people have got to drive a little, but they’re going to have a nice place. It’s going to be easy to get in and out.”
Plans are to make the center much like the one at the fairgrounds in that it will be able to handle furniture, appliances and other items that can only be taken to the fairgrounds site at present.
Hillis said there is no estimate at present on how much it will cost to move the equipment from the other facilities and set up the new center.