By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE ó While cash-strapped county commissioners may have hoped for manna from heaven, they instead got an indoor snow shower of sorts.
The Rowan County Board of Commissioners concluded its annual retreat Thursday on a positive note after facing requests for staff and equipment that could top $40 million.
But the session had a few unusual, unique and funny moments.
On the first day, a very chilly Wednesday morning, commissioners and staff had a very cold beginning at the Tadlock South Rowan Library.
Neither commissioners nor department directors could manage enough hot air to warm the room.
A locked box thwarted efforts to adjust the thermostat.
Library staffers unlocked the box and turned up the heat setting ó much to the the delight of the group. But coats remained on.
Two hours later, it was still chilly.
After lunch, all eyes watched as two maintenance men entered the room, checked and adjusted controls.
Nothing happened.
A few minutes later, they returned carrying a ladder and disappeared into a closet or utility area.
And then the hot air came shooting from the ceiling, along with snow ó pink snow.
Bits of insulation drifted down for several minutes, providing a bit of distraction from a presentation on $12 million worth of communications equipment.
And there was another first for the board’s annual retreat. Commissioners were on camera for the entire three-day event.
Nadine Cherry, a Landis resident who records all meetings of the Landis Board of Aldermen, brought her video camera to record every second.
Cherry, who is also an activist for compliance with the Americans with Disability Act, requested microphones so her camera would also record the voices.
But don’t look for the retreat on DVD at Blockbuster. The recording will go into Cherry’s private collection.
At the retreat last year, she refused to use hearing devices provided by the county and complained the government was not complying with federal requirements.This year, the county spent around $150 for supplies to modify an existing library speaker system to accommodate Cherry and her recorder.
At the outset, Chairman Carl Ford advised everyone that the large round devices that looked like coasters were microphones.
After listening to a number of presentations, commissioners reflected on the three-day retreat and what they would like to see next year.
“We got too much information,” Ford said. In his first retreat, he said it became overkill in some cases.
Department heads submitted written information weeks ahead of the retreat and commissioners had thick notebooks to read.
Ford said they didn’t need the department heads to read the reports for them.
On the opposite side, one department head appeared not to know what was in his report, asking to see a copy.
Vice Chairman Jon Barber said he would like to see more citizens attend.
The retreat, which usually draws a half-dozen or so potential candidates, had sparse attendance. Rod Whedbee, a property rights activist and businessman, was the only person to stay for the entire three days who wasn’t a county employee.
Commissioner Chad Mitchell, the longest-serving board member, warned that having department directors come to the board violates the process.
Mitchell said department directors need to make their requests to the county manager. He went on to suggest there needs to be separation between commissioners and department heads.
“We have to step back and not violate the process,” he said. “I don’t want a return to begging sessions. That’s what it used to be.”
Commissioner Tina Hall said board members had good interaction during the retreat and carried it out with respect.
Larry Parks, facilitator for the sessions, also commended the board for great interaction.
Parks, an East Rowan High School graduate, is retired from the Centralina Council of Governments. He has served as a facilitator for most of the board’s retreats over the past decade.