February 2, 2009

In light of Carolina Centers, LLC, having told Catawba County to vacate the present location of the Sherrills Ford Convenience Center, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners has instructed staff to prepare the Bethany Church Road Convenience Center, at 2436 Bethany Church Road, to receive the waste beginning on Tuesday, March 17th. Additionally, the Newton Convenience Center’s hours of operation will be increased from 40 to 48 hours per week, and it will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Board of Commissioners also instructed staff to investigate expanded services for used tire, white goods and yard waste collection.

While the County regrets this action by Carolina Centers, $1 million in planned renovation costs would be avoided by consolidating services at the Newton Center. Catawba County citizens would also avoid an anticipated 25 cent per bag increase in disposal costs, and the County would save approximately $80,000 annually in operating costs.

Negotiations between Catawba County and Carolina Centers have been ongoing.

•   In May 2008, Carolina Centers notified the County that it was interested in selling the Sherrills Ford Convenience Center property, if Catawba County purchased 9.992 acres.

•   Additional acreage over 6.154 acres is not needed by the County, is primarily power and railroad right-of-way, and abuts the Marshall Steam Station ash dump.

•   Carolina Centers’ asking price for the 9.992 acres is $236,000, while the tax value is only $76,000. The County has twice offered to purchase 6.154 acres at the independently appraised value of $100,000.

Catawba County does not believe buying more land than is needed, at a price more than double the value of the land, is a good use of public funds.

In March 1976, Catawba County entered into a 10-year lease of 0.80 acres of property on Sherrills Ford Road from Crescent Land and Timber (Carolina Centers) for a solid waste convenience center. Since the end of the initial lease in March 1986, Crescent Land and Timber and its predecessors have declined to enter into a long term lease agreement, so Catawba County has been using the property without a lease.

In July 2006, in an effort to improve the facility and services, the County met with Carolina Centers to discuss the purchase of additional property. In October 2007, after receiving no response from Carolina Centers, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners directed staff to identify and assess other properties, including County-owned property on Slanting Bridge Road.

Staff reviewed options and recommended relocating the Convenience Center to the County-owned Slanting Bridge Road property. During a Sherrills Ford-Terrell Community Meeting held at the Sherrills Ford Elementary School on March 17, 2008, the Southeast Area Chamber Council and local citizens expressed opposition to the staff’s recommendation. The Chamber Council provided the County with six potential sites; however, only one of the property owners was willing to negotiate and that site was not feasible.

“Catawba County regrets this action on the part of Carolina Centers, and calls on Carolina Centers to sell the County the 6.154 acres, at the appraised value of $100,000, that the County needs to continue operation of the present Sherrills Ford Convenience Center and avoid this disruption of service to county citizens”, said Kitty Barnes, Chair of the Catawba County Board of Commissioners.

In addition to this news release posted on the County's web site and sent to area media on February 2, 2009, a notification flier detailing the closing was placed at the following locations in southeast Catawba County:

• 75 at the Terrell and Sherrills Ford Post Offices
  
  
• 25 each at five fire departments in the area
  
  
• 200 at the Sherrills Ford Library
  
  
• 75 at Boss Hog BBQ
  
  
• 75 at Captain Pete’s
  
  
• 75 at Butcher Boys
  
  
• A total of 500 made available at the Sherrills Ford Convenience Center