July 23, 2018 Weekly Report

Highlight of Departmental Activities

The Weekly Report showcases the activities and accomplishments of the many Departments within Rutherford County Government. Click on the directory lists, headings and text in blue to be linked to more information.

Department Directory Agriculture/Cooperative Extension Agriculture/Cooperative Extension Airport Staff reporting: Tracy Davis, Cynthia Robbins, Hannah Bundy, Stepha- Board of Elections nie Rzonca

Building Inspections Tracy: County Manager • Taught adult cooking classes. County Commissioners • Met with Extension & Community Association. • Conducted food demonstration at mobile food pantry truck. Economic Development Emergency Medical Services Hannah: Fire Marshal • Agricultural Adventures two day camp for 9-11 year olds with 4H Agent Cynthia Robbins Finance • WNC Green Team planning for the 2018 Certified Profession- Human Resources als course Information Technology Library Cynthia: 4-H Agent Cynthia Robbins and Ag Agent Hannah Bundy hosted a 2-day Public Works and Planning summer camp for youth to learn about agriculture. Youth visited Deer Register of Deeds Valley Farm where they learned about growing various vegetables and Revenue fruits as well as Rainbow Trout. They enjoyed sampling the different foods from the farm, learned about different farming techniques, dissect- Senior Center ed , and learned about plant parts. (Pictured on page 2.) Social Services and Water We held two painting classes last week. Youth painted wooden door- Solid Waste hangers to decorate their room or their home. They were given ideas and lessons on lines and shading by Stephanie R. Transit Tourism Development Authority Youth ages 5-8 also participated in STEM and Nature classes the week of Veteran Services July 4. In the STEM class, youth made spaghetti towers, egg drop cases, homemade bubbles, and more. In the nature class, youth learned about ecosystems and made nature-themed crafts. (Pictured on page 3.) 1

Agriculture and Cooperative Extension continued from page 1

Continued from page 1 - Cynthia Robbins: Five Rutherford County 4-H youth and the 4-H agent attended the NC 4 -H Electric Congress last week in Wilmington, NC (pictured top of page 3).

Delegates attended workshops, a ca- reer fair, an awards banquet, and had the opportunity to explore the area and enjoy an afternoon at the water- park and a dinner cruise in the inlet.

Delegates earn this all-expense paid trip by participating in 4-H Electric projects, portfolios, and recruitment plans. Our delegates were sponsored by Duke Carolinas.

2-Day Agriculture Camp

Upcoming Classes at the Office and the 2019 Master Gardener Program Join us starting in August for our fall gardening class series with classes including Vegetable Gardening, IPM and Insects, Cut Flowers and Container Gardening and more. For the full list of class offerings, dates, and the registration form click here.

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the Master Gardener program in Rutherford county, these classes are important as they are a required prerequisite for the 2019 Master Gardener program. Questions? Email Hannah at [email protected].

2

Agriculture and Cooperative Extension continued from pages 1-2

NC 4-H Electric Congress

STEM Buddies

3

Agriculture and Cooperative Extension continued from pages 1-3

4

Animal Control

Animal Control Weekly Update

Total animals taken in 52

Animals adopted into forever homes 4

Animals sent to rescued groups 24

Animals returned to owners 10

Calls completed 107

Board of Elections

Director Debbie Bedford and staff:

• Working with the Republican party for a replacement candidate for School Board District 1. • Participated in a webinar with the state on Wednesday. • Board Meeting on Tuesday to elect Chairman and Vice Chair and to approve the One-Stop plan for the general election. • Completed several requests for information. • Working with Campaign Treasurers on filing 2nd quarter reports.

5

911 Communications Center

On July 9th and 10th, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office 911 Communications was happy to host the NC911 Board for a two-day event with 911 centers from the western part of North Carolina. NC911 Fi- nance staff, Marsha Tapler, Financial Analyst, and Danette Jernigan, Financial Review Specialist, were stationed in the Rutherford County Administration Office building conducting meetings and assisting agen- cies with end-of-year reports. This was the first of what we hope will be additional face-to-face meetings to help PSAP (Public Safety Answering Points) provide the required documentation to the state (from the local level) that meets the North Carolina Administrative Code and legislative requirements. “This was well spent, and we hope the NC911 Board and Executive Director will continue this new dialogue”. – Lt. Greg Dotson

If you were on Facebook, even once in the past few weeks, you have seen something in your news feed about the lip-sync challenge that went viral. Kudos to Sgt. Jessi- ca Quinn, Cpl. Lindsay Chapman, Telecommunicators Amanda Rev- els and Carrie McBrayer for your participation. Great job C Crew! Their song choice was by Meghan Trainer “Wanna Be Me Too”. In the chaos of our normal day – this put SMILES, and a few chuckles, on the face of many.☺

Call Summary Rutherford County Communications 240 N. Washington Street Rutherfordton, NC 28139

Report Date: 07/08/2018 to 07/14/2018

Total 911 Calls Total Admin Calls Total Calls

856 2,146 3,002

6

County Manager and Commissioners Listed are several events, meetings, and activities in which the County Manager, Commissioners and staff were involved with the following individuals, departments and businesses:

• Planning and Projects • Opioid Related Grant meeting • RC Housing Initiative • Senior Center Advisory Board • TDA Funding Allocation Committee • NCACC • EDC • Blue Ridge Heritage Grant Info Session • Airport Authority • Keep Rutherford County Beautiful Committee • County Attorney

Other activities and events this week included Forest City, Spindale, and Chimney Town Council meetings, meetings with citizens, numerous calls, interoffice meetings, conference calls, public relations, advising, and preparation for various responsibilities.

Finance Department

The Finance Office processed accounts payable. Several interdepartmental meetings were attended by di- rector and staff.

Fire Marshal/Emergency Management

Fire Marshal and staff:

• attended North Carolina Emergency Management Forum in Raleigh. • participated in additional training on mass notification system. • programmed 800MHz radios for several fire departments.

See invitation to Fire Marshal Roger Hollifield’s retirement event on page 8.

Human Resources

The HR Director held meetings to discuss personnel issues, exit interviews, and retirements. HR staff at- tended a State Health Plan seminar in Asheville, and attended the HR Association meeting on Wednesday.

7

Fire Marshal continued from page 7

8

Information Technology

9

Library Erika Woody (Haynes Branch)

New Books New Movies NewAudiobooks Landwhale by Jes Baker Pride and Prejudice Fade to Black by Heather Graham This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas Pitch Perfect When Life Gives You Lululemons French-English Pocket Dictionary Pitch Perfect 2 by Lauren Weisberger The Surprise Party by Chelsea Beyl Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Outside by Stephen King Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Persuasion Varadarajan The Other Side of the Mountain part Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn 1 Low Midnight by Carrie Vaughn The Other Side of the Mountain part Morning on Main by Jodi Thomas 2 Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson Sherlock Gnomes The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton I Can Only Imagine Hey Mom by Louie Anderson A Wrinkle in Time Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King Blockers Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe A Christmas Kiss Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk Acrimony Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson Chappaquiddick The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William The Royal Wedding: William & Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer Catherine The Good Fight by Danielle Steel The Royal Wedding: Harry & Marry Me by Sundown by Johanna Lindsey Meghan Markle Clock Dance by Anne Tyler Vampirina Designed for More by Lucas Ramirez Let’s Point by Carol McDougall and Shanda LaRamee-Jones The Frontiersman: Damnation Valley by Wil- liam W. Johnstone Black Panther by Frank Berrios Ban this Book by Alan Gratz Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin The Karate Mouse by Geronimo Stilton Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton : No More Diapersby Christine L’Heu- reux The Sound of Rain by Sarah Loudin Thomas Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Ghost by Jason Reynolds The Reckoning of Gossamer by Jaime Jo Wright The Making of America: Alexander Hamilton by Teri Kanefield Jack and the Geniuses at the Bottom of the World by the Guy and Grego- ry Mone

What’s Been Going On:

• KidSenses held Science Shenanigans as part of our Children’s Summer Reading Program- thank you! • Tracy Davis held a canning program as part of our Adult Summer Reading Program- thank you! • Began the 8-12 year old Maker Camp.

10

Library continued from page 10

Continued from Erika Woody (Haynes Branch) What’s Coming Up: • Story Time- Tuesdays @ 10:30am • Build It Club- Tuesdays @ 3:30pm • Chimney Rock Park Ranger- Wednesday, July 25th @ 3:30pm • iSpy- all month long • Paper Houses- all month long st • Happy Birthday America- thru July 31 • School Supply Drive for Cliffside Elementary- thru August 13th

Joy Sharp (Mountains Branch) Lots of Summer Fun at Mountains Branch this week! A visit from the Chimney Rock Park Rangers, family storytime, and a Tie Dye party with Miss Maria! We had more than 30 kids show up to create cool t-shirts.

Angie Turner has been very busy ordering and cataloging lots of new large print books we were able to pur- chase with a generous grant from our friends, the Lure Lions Club. Thank you, Lions! Joy Sharp also used funds from the Lions to purchase lots of new juvenile titles.

Joy also worked on book displays including one for the North Carolina Battle of the Books, and scheduling upcoming programs for August.

The Friends of the Library Big Book Sale will take place Friday, July 20th, and Saturday, July 21st, in the Mountains Branch Community Room during regular library hours. We have lots of like-new best sellers, local authors, rare books and DVDs. Buy eight or more books and receive a 50% discount!

Congratulations to Lake Lure resident, Jana Moravec – the lucky winner or our “Soul of Lake Lure” raffle. The sculpture, donated by local artist, Diane Breaker, was raffled to raise funds for the Friends of the Mountains Branch Library.

Stephanie Long (County) Circulation Manager cataloged and processed many DVDs this week, including:

Beaches The BFG Fire (Season 1) Children on Their Birthdays Destination Tokyo Dirty Harry Film Collection Emma Hailey Dean Mystery: Murder, with Love Hamlet Henry V I Can Only Imagine The Last Templar Leave It to Beaver Richard III Simon & Simon (Season 2) Suits (Season 1) Thor: Ragnarok Three’s Company (Seasons 1-8) A Walk in the Clouds The Whole Shebang

11

Library continued from pages 10-11 Maria Davis (County) I have been working on new and exciting upcoming programming. Keep an eye out for fun in August and September! We had 12 register for the Soap Carving activity and I must admit, we had a blast! As I am sure you are all aware, there is a major blood shortage going on right now. Rutherford County Library has been contacted by the Red Cross and asked to host a blood drive. The bus will be here Thursday, August 2, 2018, 2:00 - 6:30 pm. We have about 24 spots to fill. Please consider signing up and donating blood! Re- member, you can give every 56 days. To secure your spot, go to www.redcrossblood.org and use the Spon- sor Code “Rutherford.” Call Maria if you have any questions.

Kenneth Odom (County) Kenneth has spent this week at Haynes Branch doing Maker Camp and Teen Maker Club. It is always ex- citing to see what activities he comes up with!

12

Library continued from pages 10-12

13

Library continued from pages 10-13

14

Library continued from pages 10-14

15

Library continued from pages 10-15

16

Register of Deeds

The Register of Deeds office works with the public everyday and continues to give prompt, courteous and accurate service.

Transaction Group Totals

Certified Vital Records 101

Marriage Licenses 12

Recorded Deeds 70

Recorded Deeds of Trust 39

Recorded Certificates of Satisfaction 45

Recorded Various Other Documents 68

Oath Given to Notary Publics 4

Recorded Plats/Surveys 12

17

Revenue Department

• The last two weeks have been a little crazy around the Tax Office. We apologize for any inconven- ience with the staff on count down for bill preparation. It is the time of the year where we have all are- as of the office completing work for the current tax bill to be sent out. • Collections staff have been working all delinquent tax bills trying to get them current. If you have questions on past due taxes, give them a call at 287-6000. • Jennifer Whitely, Kali Ellis, Stacy Kempster and Maryann White attended the IAA0 Real Property Workshop last week in Fayetteville. Much information was obtained during the week. • The Tax Office extends sympathy to the Becky Ruff family. Becky passed away this week. She was a retiree from our Listing Department. • 2018 tax bills should be in the mail in approximately two weeks. If you have not received a bill by the middle of August, please call the tax office at 287-6000.

Customer Service Totals

Phone Calls 661

Customer Service Assistance 431

Information/Data Requests 2

Website Hits 3,610

County Growth Indicators

Building Permits Reviewed 236

Deeds Reviewed 209

Collections Progress

Deeds Certified 46

Total Taxes Collected $118,322.94

18

Senior Center

Barbara Hill and the seniors have kept the road “hot” this week going on trips! She has scheduled trips each Tuesday this month to the Farmer’s Market at 9:15 and 10:15. This allows the seniors to spend their Farmer’s Market vouchers they receive earlier in the month. They also had a fun shopping excursion to Hamrick’s of Gaffney, a afternoon trip to Sweet Frog, and the Breakfast Club plans on going to Blondie’s in Chesnee this Friday.

The Senior Center has a limited number of electrical fans available to distribute to qualified adults. This is made possible through “Operation Fan Heat Relief” whose contributors include: Dominion Resources, Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, and Valassis Giving Committee, as well as an additional special donation from Rutherford Heating and Air (pictured below).

Criterial to receive a fan is as follows: • You must be a resident of Rutherford County. • You must be an adult age 60 or older or an adult with a disability. • You must have a home situation where a threat to health and well-being exists due to heat.

If you meet the above criteria and need a fan, a lim- ited supply is available at the Senior Center. Hours of distribution are 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Fri- day. Fans are on a first come, first serve basis and while supplies last. No phone calls.

Director Tammy Aldridge and vol- unteer, Amideus Athougies, attend- ed the annual NC SHIIP Coordina- tors’ Training Conference this week (pictured left). SHIIP stands for Senior Health Insurance Infor- mation Program. The conference was held at the Embassy Suites in Greensboro and was packed with useful information to help Medi- care Beneficiaries.

In 2017 Rutherford County SHIIP helped 1,471 Medicare Beneficiar- ies and saved them $1,056,969.

19

Sheriff’s Office

Court sessions were postponed and administrative offices were evacuated on Wednesday due to a bomb threat. Clerk of Court Steve Owens stated that everyone remained calm and that courthouse employees had recently trained for such an event. Thankfully, everyone is safe and the device did not actually exist.

CRIMESTOPPERS of RUTHERFORD COUNTY in conjunction with the Rutherfordton Police Department and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, is offering a CASH REWARD for infor- mation leading to the identification and arrest of the individual responsible for “calling in a bomb threat about the Rutherford County Courthouse.”

Anyone with information as to the identity of the person responsible is asked to call CRIMESTOPPERS 828-286 TIPS (8477), text TIP RUTHERFORDCO to 888777, Rutherfordton Police Department 828-289-0383.

You will remain ANONYMOUS and you could get a CASH REWARD.

20

Sheriff’s Office continued from page 20

Happy Retirement

Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office Cordially invites you to attend a Retirement reception In Honor of Howard Gordon “Celebrating 30 years of Outstanding Service to the Citizens of Rutherford County and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office” July 27th, 2018 2:00pm – 4:00pm Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office Conference Room

21

Social Services

At DSS, fun times and education go hand in hand. Our Income Maintenance department had a fun compe- tition of Manual Drills, which consist of staff being given a section in the manual to see which worker can find it the quickest. This keeps our workers up to date with the constant changes in policy and procedures that we have to follow.

22

Social Services continued from page 22

If policy drills doesn’t sound exciting enough for you, how about food? If you know anything about DSS employees, you know we love to eat. What 4th of July could be complete without a hot dog cookout? (Pictures below.)

23

Soil & Water The District Administration and Education Specialist worked on: • Farmland program update letters. • updating Education lessons. • Conservation Field Day planning.

The Resource Conservation Administrator spent the week: • on construction projects. • meeting with Equinox Environmental. • meeting with landowners.

Solid Waste

Director James Kilgo: • met with several vendors. • worked on budget and reports. • worked on scale quotes. • Attended Keep Rutherford County Beautiful committee meeting.

The office staff continues to take care of customers while running reports and handling electronics coming in. Staff at the transfer station has been busy processing MSW and recycling tonnages.

The C&D staff continues to process C&D tonnages coming in while maintaining the grounds, and hauling dirt for cover. The airport staff continues to work on maintaining the grass in the airport grounds. The Shop is busy with preventative maintenance to equipment and vehicles and repairs in equipment.

Please continue to recycle.

Customers served 515

Loads hauled from Centers 78

MSW loads to Lenoir 44

Recycling loads to Conover 3

Tire customers 24

24

Tourism Development Authority

Visit our website for a full list of events and times at: timeofyourlifenc.com or call our Welcome Center at 828.287.6113. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact Taylor Hardin, Admin- istrative Assistant for the TDA at 828-287-6013 or by email at [email protected].

If you need to pick up travel guides for your business or you would like to be added to the newsletter dis- tribution list, please contact Project Manager Karen Tegen at 828-287-6130 or by email at [email protected].

25

Transportation Services EMS: On Friday, July 13, the North Carolina Office of EMS had its Regional State Paramedic Competition and two paramedics represented Rutherford County Emergency Services. Lead Paramedic Robert Ledbetter and Field Training Officer Paramedic James Deal. The two medics competed at the Regional site in Mt Airey at Surry Community College. The competition consists of a difficult multi patient scenario that stresses the skills of the medics and also a detailed written test. We congratulate them for representing us on such a level! (Pictured on page 27.)

TYPE CURRENT WEEK

Emergency Calls 150

Non-Emergency Calls 17

Transit: Operations Manager held telephone meeting with the social worker for the blind to discuss an opportunity to meet and discuss transportation availability for their clients that may need this service, and to also take the opportunity to work with all our drivers during a monthly Safety Meeting on proper ways to offer assis- tance to these passengers if needed and how to communicate to them. All 4th quarter 2017-18 reports have been submitted to NCDOT, and year-end reports to be submitted are in process of completion by staff. The new vans are in the process of being decaled to enable us to proceed to next phase of preparing van for ser- vice. Director and Operations Manager met with our Mobility Specialist with NCDOT for an onsite visit. During this visit, the specialist audited some vehicle maintenance files, driver manifest and AssetWorks information. Along with this, she provided a review of any changes that we needed to be aware of in sever- al areas.

TYPE CURRENT WEEK WEEKLY AVG

Total Miles 8,466 7,637

Local Trips 1,186 1,067

Out of County Trips 63 66

Unduplicated Passengers 197 184

Total Revenue $16,126 $14,603

26

Transportation Services continued from page 26

Veteran Services

Assisted veterans in the past week with claims, benefits, and other services: 94 Faxes sent for veteran claims, pension, compensation and records: 116

27

Scoop is so excited to be opening our new second location Friday, July 20th, at 5:00 pm. Just wanted to say thanks for the love and support from everyone! We know how many of you love this spot and we look forward to serving you and creating our own memories to- gether!

286 Chimney Rock Road Rutherfordton, NC 28139 (828) 980-4999

28

August 10 – 12 14th Annual Lake Lure Olympiad Multiple events will occur through- out the weekend for athletes to par- ticipate including: the Slam the Dam 10K Run, Lake Lure Triathlon and the Race to the Rock 5K Run and 25- Mile Bike. New this year is a free practice swim for triathletes on Fri- day evening. Kids ages 4-14 can join in on the competitive fun with mom and dad to compete and earn medals too at the Junior Olympiad on Satur- day morning. In addition to the race competitions, the Olympiad will host a Golf Tournament on Friday and Pickleball Tournaments Saturday through Sunday. www.lakelureolympiad.com

August 17 – 18 27th Annual Hot Nights Cool Rides Forest City Car Show The Forest City Merchants Association and the Town of Forest City are excited to announce the 27th Annual Hot Nights Cool Rides Car Show on Saturday, August 18 on historic Main Street. Registration is just $25 per car and includes a commemorative t-shirt! Registration on Friday, August 17 at 108 East Main Street from 2pm- 8pm and on Saturday, August 18 at 108 East Main Street from 9am-2pm. Live music from Jack Roper and the Weatherman Band, Wire- grass, and Night Move Band. Lots of great food available from vendors and Main Street restaurants! One of the largest car shows in the southeast! https:// www.facebook.com/hotnightscoolrides

August 24 – 25 9th Annual Dirty Dancing Festival Come one, come all! Have the time of your life this summer at the 9th Annual Dirty Dancing Festival, August 24 - August 25 in Lake Lure, North Carolina. Dirty Dancing meant a lot to so many people in many different ways. Each year, this festival cele- brates the iconic film with movie-inspired dance and music, arts and entertainment. Grab some friends and get ready to relive the moments. Tickets are availa- ble online at DirtyDancingFestival.com.

29

30

Join us as we host the Macon Bacon, featuring First Responders Appreciation Night, on Saturday, July 21st.

• All First Responders receive 20% off their tickets. (must show ID) • All First Responders will be honored during the game.

The Owls are wearing specialty jerseys which will be auctioned off with all proceeds go- ing to the Children of Fallen Heroes.

• McCurry-Deck $10K Dice Roll • Zaxby's Friends and Family Package ($29.99 + tax)

For more information or to register your department as a group, call 828.245.0000 or email [email protected].

31

32

NEWS RELEASE

Contact information Nell Bovender, 828-248-3431

Rutherford Seeks Housing Repair Assistance Requests

Urgent Repair Program

Rutherford County has received a grant of $100,000 from the N.C. Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) through its Urgent Repair Program ’18 (URP18). The grant will provide urgently needed repairs for low- income homeowners with special needs in Rutherford County. The grant will be administered by Ruther- ford Housing Partnership (RHP), a local nonprofit that provides urgently needed repairs for qualified low -income homeowners.

To receive a preliminary application, call RHP at 248-3431 and leave your name and address. To pick up an application, go by the RHP office at 718 W. Main St., Forest City; or next door at the Habitat Re- Store, 686 W. Main Street, Forest City. Applications are also available at Isothermal Planning & Devel- opment Commission, 111 W. Court St., Rutherfordton.

All applications currently on the RHP waiting list will automatically be ranked and considered for assis- tance after August 15, 2018.

Other Housing Issues

The Rutherford Housing Initiative Alliance, an informal discussion group of parties interested in housing issues, has been working with various partners in the Rutherford County area to explore other opportuni- ties to improve the housing access and housing conditions in our County. Members of this group include the IPDC Section 8 Housing Division, Pisgah Legal, and Habitat for Humanity, the Towns of Ruther- fordton, Spindale and Forest City, as well as the Rutherford Housing partnership to find opportunities to make these improvements.

As such, the county, working with this group, intends to apply for a Community Development Block Grant through the NC Department of Commerce’s Neighborhood Revitalization Program (CDBG-NR) which also will provide housing repair assistance for low-income homeowners. To qualify for this grant, household income must be below 80% of the county’s median income.

Properties considered for both of these programs are being solicited at this time. For properties to be con- sidered for CDBG-NR grant funding, they must be selected and included with the grant application. Therefore, applicants interested in being considered for housing rehabilitation assistance through either grant must submit an application to RHP by 5 pm August 15, 2018.

###

33

SUMMER CLEAN UP ROCO:

Saturday, August 4 at 9 AM - 7 PM

https://www.facebook.com/pg/RoCoPickUp/community/?ref=page_internal

34

The application deadline has been extended for the Town of Lake Lure and Polk County Recreation AmeriCorps Trails Coordinator Positions!

The deadline has been extended, so there is still time to apply for the AmeriCorps Trails Coordinator posi- tions!

If you enjoy working outdoors, improving trails, and working closely with volunteers, apply for the Town of Lake Lure or Polk County Recreation Trails Coordinator positions!

The service position description for the Town of Lake Lure position can be found at https:// conservingcarolina.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Lake-Lure_Trails-Coordinator_18-19.pdf..

The service description for the Polk County Recreation position can be found at https:// conservingcarolina.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Polk-Recreation_Trails-Coordinator_18-19.pdf..

To apply, click on the link below and apply to one or both positions. Please share with anyone you think might be interested! https:// conservingcarolina.org/americorps/ project-conserve/

Be sure to get your application in as soon as possible, as we will are hoping to hire someone within the next two weeks.

These positions are a great way to gain skills and experience in a vari- ety of areas including trail mainte- nance and volunteer management. You will also gain leadership expe- rience by organizing and leading group hikes and other outdoor events.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, apply today!

35

ROC continued from page 35

Upcoming Schedule

• Saturday, July 28: Meet me at the Fountain 5K: 8 am in Downtown Forest City. See http:// www.rutherfordoutdoor.org/running-race-series-race-details/meet-me-at-the-fountain-5k for more infor- mation and to register. • Sunday, August 5: ROC Broad Section 2 and 3 float. Meet at River Creek Campground at 9 am. • Friday, August 10: Olympiad Dam Run 5K • Sunday, August 12: Olympiad Race to the Rock 5K • Friday, August 17: ROC Bearwallow Mountain sunset hike. Meet at the Rutherford County Office building at 6 pm. Sunset is at 8:15 pm. • Saturday, August 25: ROC Walk with Brother Wolf at 10 am.

Email us at [email protected] or call (828) 351-3235 if you would like to sign up for any of the ROC workdays, clean-ups, or group hikes/river floats. Please note that the time for Wednesday morning walks has been changed to 8:30 am. We had fun during our first Wednesday morning walk on the Purple Martin Greenway last week. After talking with some of the people that joined us for the walk and people from other groups we bumped into, we have decided that it will be better for us to meet at 8:30 am, instead of 9 am on Wednesdays. We want to accommodate the most people with these walks and are happy to meet half an hour earlier to allow more people to join us. If you have questions, contact Dana Bradley at 864- 324-1188 or email her at da- [email protected]. We hope to see many of you out on the trails!

More information on the ROC Walking Club can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ groups/184160622179015/.

County Manager Steve Garrison

County Commissioners County Office Bryan A. King, Chairman Alan Toney, Vice Chairman Hazel Haynes, Clerk to Board Michael Benfield, Eddie Holland, Greg Lovelace Richard Williams, County Attorney

Follow us online! www.rutherfordcountync.gov

Kimberly Aldridge, Weekly Report Editor 828.287.6060 36