By Andie Foley
andie.foley@salisburypost.com

The Board of Commissioners on Monday will consider modifying an incentive agreement made with Daimler in November 2015.

The agreement, meant to accommodate Daimler’s “Project D2,” involved a proposed Daimler investment of $38 million in improvements to their operations. This included a new vehicle logistics center.

The company also agreed to increase its minimum job retention requirement to 1,500, all in exchange for a five-year, 75 percent tax incentive grant from the county.

The project had an estimated completion date at the close of 2016, and the grant was meant to begin early the following year. But, said Scott Shelton with the Rowan Economic Development Commission, the project was delayed due to a variety of circumstances.

Construction instead began in late 2017 and now has an estimated completion date at the end of 2018. Representatives from the company have therein requested the grant term be similarly delayed to begin in 2018.

Calculated on the now-proposed $26 million in capital investment, the total grant amount will be $556,500 paid over the five-year term.

The amendment will be discussed during the commissioner meeting held Monday at 3 p.m. at the Rowan County Administration Building.

In other business from Monday’s agenda:

• Commissioners will hold a quasi-judicial hearing for a conditional use permit to accommodate a 1,512-square-foot residential storage facility on Thompson Road.
• Commissioners will hold a public hearing regarding amendments to Water System Management Plan for management of the Northeast Rowan Water System. The amendment is an ordinance specifying the standards and requirements for connection to the system.
• Commissioners will hear a request from Jeff Hall, library director, regarding the West Branch Library Project. Hall has proposed to pursue building new library to serve western Rowan using the media center and auditorium of the to-be-vacated Cleveland Elementary School. Friends of Rowan Public Library have donated $15,000 to the project.
• Commissioners may approve a special non-residential intensity allocation request from Teramore Construction in anticipation of constructing a retail store at the corner of E. NC 152 Hwy. and Kress Venture Dr. This is located within the Coldwater Creek watershed.
• Commissioners could vote to protect 373.49 acres of farmland through the Voluntary Agricultural District provision and 28 acres through the Enhanced Volunteer Agricultural District provision.
• Commissioners will schedule a public hearing for a fire protection district transfer between the Rowan-Iredell and Scotch-Irish Fire districts.
• Commissioners could appoint three people to four local boards: Chris Soliz to the Local Emergency Planning Committee and Rowan County Rescue Squad, Charles French to the Nursing Home Advisory Committee and Edmond Watts to the Parks and Recreation Commission.