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Following is the text of the Weekly County Update, issued every Monday by County Manager David Bone.

ITEM 1. 2,088 VACCINE DOSES ADMINISTERED AT THE DAVIE COUNTY VACCINE CLINIC ON MARCH 12TH – Congratulations to the staff and volunteers who contributed to the vaccine clinic effort on Friday, March 12th.  2,088 doses were administered.

ITEM 2. NC WILL OPEN COVID VACCINATIONS TO A PORTION OF PRIORITY GROUP 4, STARTING MARCH 17 – On March 11, Gov. Cooper and Secretary Cohen announced that beginning on March 17, people in Group 4 who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk and people who live in additional congregate settings will be eligible for vaccination. The rest of Group 4, which includes other essential workers will become eligible April 7.

For more information, visit https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines/find-your-spot-take-your-shot/deeper-dive-group-4.

ITEM 3. PROJECT UPDATES FROM PUBLIC UTILITIES –

• Water Supply Regionalization Project –

• Approved for a total of $21,123,807 of project funding in Fall 2020 funding round ($20,000,000 from DWSRF with $2,000,000 of principal forgiveness at capped interest of 0.1%; $1,123,807 from the State Reserve Project Grant Fund; application will carry over into Spring 2021 round).

• Currently developing ER/EID to meet State requirements.

• Notified by EDA of “Further Consideration” for $1,587,000 of grant funding for the transmission main project.

• Responded to EDA’s additional information requests.

• Survey for WTP site is nearly complete.

• Survey field work for the transmission mains is ongoing and expects to be complete in end of March.

• Geotechnical investigations at the WTP are complete. Geotechnical investigations for the transmission mains are ongoing.

• Davie County Water and Sewer Master Plan – Working on:

• Geo-reference billing data,

• Hydraulic grade line (HGL; deals with water levels in pipes),

• Water age analysis, and

• Water main installation and replacement recommendations.

• SCADA (Supervisory Control AND Data Acquisition) system upgrade – The main radios have been installed and tested. We will begin updating each site to move over to the new network over the next 2 years. We will run old system and new system in parallel to insure a smooth transition. The new Eastern Davie lift stations will also run on the new system.

Project East Davie Sewer Project –

• The latest round of pump station testing occurred on 2/25/2021. During this testing it was confirmed that ARV (Air Relief Valves) are undersized, trapping air in the system.

• Engineers have contacted the valve company to do an assessment on upsizing the ARV valves

• Once all 9 are removed and testing is satisfactory, the project will move forward with tying other lines into the new sewer line, and service on the new system will begin.

• Cooleemee Flooding – Installation of new pump stands has been completed. New valve installations will be next.

• Cooleemee Waste Treatment Plant –

• Inlet backwash valves have been changed to utilize the 1.5 million gallon basin.  The 3 million gallon basin is completely out of service.

• A contract for evaluation of the repairs needed is in the works.

ITEM 4. NC DHHS MAILING OUT ENROLLMENT PACKAGES AS PART OF MEDICAID TRANSFORMATION – The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has begun mailing enrollment packets statewide and launched new resources for beneficiaries as it prepares for NC Medicaid Managed Care Open Enrollment which begins on March 15. Beneficiaries can now call the NC Medicaid Enrollment Call Center to learn more about NC Medicaid Managed Care and can download a free beneficiary enrollment mobile app.

These new tools, as well as the NC Medicaid enrollment website, will assist beneficiaries in choosing a primary care provider (PCP) and a health plan for their families’ care. Some people will not need to choose a health plan because of the type of health services they need.

The NC Medicaid Enrollment Call Center number is 833-870-5500 (TTY: 833-870-5588). The free mobile app, called NC Medicaid Managed Care, is available on Google Play or the App Store. Mailings of enrollment packets are being done in batches and should arrive at beneficiary homes by Monday, March 15, 2021.

ITEM 5. LIBRARY TO CLOSE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC PLAN / TRAINING –

• The Davie County Library will be closed on March 29 so the consultant to work with staff, focus groups and the steering committee on the Strategic Planning Project.

• The library will be closed on April 28th for staff training.

ITEM 6. FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO PRACTICE WATER HAULING – MARCH 20 – Fire departments in the county will practice water hauling on March 20. The actual test date is April 10. The exercises determine how much and how quickly squads can move water when fire hydrants aren’t available as a water source. Good timed scores may contribute toward a better (lower) Insurance Services Offices Inc. (ISO) score for the departments, which could theoretically lower fire insurance premiums for homeowners who live in a particular fire district.

ITEM 7. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR LITTER SWEEP EVENT – APRIL 10-24 – The N.C. Department of Transportation needs volunteers to help clean up trash along roads during the Adopt-A-Highway Spring Litter Sweep from April 10-24.

Each April and September, NCDOT asks volunteers to help remove litter from roadsides. Volunteers from local businesses, schools, non-profits, churches, municipalities, law enforcement and community groups play an important role in keeping North Carolina’s roads clean.

Volunteers are provided with clean-up supplies such as trash bags, gloves and safety vests from local NCDOT County Maintenance Yard offices.

To sign up and get more information, visit the Litter Sweep web page or call 919-707-2970.

ITEM 8. STATE OF DAVIE & CHAMBER ANNUAL MEETING – APRIL 15 – The Chamber of Commerce is partnering with Davie County EDC to bring the “State of Davie & Chamber Annual Meeting” to WinMock on Thursday, April 15.  The event will include annual Chamber awards, a county economic development update by Terry Bralley and a feature presentation by Ted Abernathy about “Looking at the Post-Pandemic Economy”.

ITEM 9. DATES TO REMEMBER –

3/20 Fire Depts. Hold County-Wide Water Hauling Practice Run

3/29 Library closed to work on Strategic Planning Project

4/2 County Facilities Closed for Good Friday holiday

4/5      6 p.m., Board of Commissioners Meeting, Brock Performing Arts Center

4/10 County-Wide Water Haul Test for Fire Departments

4/10 – 4/24 NCDOT Litter Sweep event

4/15 7:30 a.m., State of Davie & Chamber Annual WinMock & virtual Meeting

4/28 Library closed for staff training

5/3 6:00 p.m., Board of Commissioners Meeting

5/7 8:00 a.m., Extension Master Gardener plant sale, Masonic Picnic Grounds

5/31 County Facilities Closed for Memorial Day