SALISBURY — The Rowan County Board of Commissioners will convene for its first October meeting Monday at 6 p.m. in the J. Newton Cohen Sr. Room on the second floor of the Rowan County Administration Building.

The meeting can be joined virtually at bit.ly/rowanboc1004 using password 100421 or by phone by dialing 602-753-0140, 720-928-9299 or 213-338-8477.

On Monday’s agenda:

• Commissioners will consider authorizing a contract with the Talbert, Bright and Ellington engineering firm for consulting services for new hangars at the Mid-Carolina Regional Airport. The airport is planning to develop a public safety hangar, three “box hangars” and a corporate hangar. The total cost of the firm’s design and planning services will be $1.27 million.

• The board will consider approving an amendment to the county’s contract with Greensboro-based engineering firm Hazen and Sawyer for the company to continue to help with efforts to remedy high levels of lead in drinking water in some homes on the Northeast Water System.

After discovering elevated levels of lead in some of the homes, the county has been working to sample water in the “Dukeville” area and is constructing a chemical pump booster station along the entry point to the Northeast Water System. The booster station will give the county the ability to increase the levels of zinc orthophosphate in the water in the system, which will coat pipes in the homes and prevent lead seepage. The county is also considering completely replacing the piping in some homes as well. If commissioners approve the amendments to the contract, it will increase the contract with Hazen and Sawyer by $90,850, bringing the revised maximum amount to $315,850. 

• Commissioners will consider authorizing staff to develop a reimbursement agreement for funding the county will receive to pay for a study of the Long Ferry Road corridor. The county will receive $30,000, or 80% of the overall cost study, from the NCDOT and will commit $7,500, the remaining 20%, of its own funding.

Through the study, Rowan County is seeking to evaluate increases in vehicular and truck traffic and access to several prospective non-residential properties. The resulting Long Ferry Road corridor plan will help determine the best traffic control methods to supplement the overall street network. With funding determined, the county will advertise for an engineering firm to complete the study.

• Commissioners will consider a request from the Health Department to create the school health liaison position. The school health liaison will provide coordination of COVID-19 screening, testing, and vaccine administration efforts and will coordinate other school health/public health services. The position will be entirely supported by $115,000 in state funding. In a memo to commissioners, Health Director Alyssa Harris said the “position will serve as a liaison and key point of contact to navigate infection control within the school systems.”

“Our goal is to keep students in the classroom and to respond quickly to the many changing needs of schools throughout the pandemic,” Harris said.

• The board will consider approving the purchase of five raised roof vans with lifts for Rowan Transit for $297,095 from Ilderton Conversion. The purchase of the vehicles is within the approved county’s current fiscal year budget.

• Commissioners will consider several advisory board appointments and receive a litter report.

• The board will consider approving the closure of county offices at 1 p.m. on Nov. 24 for the holiday parade and because it is the day before Thanksgiving.