ELIZABETHTOWN — The Bladen County Commissioners listened and approved numerous requests on Monday.

Vice-Chairman Delilah Blanks presided in the absence of Chairman Billy Ray Pait. Blanks informed the commissioners and audience that Pait had undergone surgery and was at home resting and recuperating and plans to be at the next meeting. 

Sandra Cain, Bladen County Cooperative Extension agent of Family and Consumer Education, and Carol Strickland, Health Promotions educator of the Health Department, spoke to the Commissioners regarding a wellness/walking program. At different times they will be performing “body mass indexes” for citizens in relation to insurance companies and wellness in the neighborhood. 

Adam Lowery, housing coordinator for the Lumber River Council of Government addressed the Board and advised them of 5 houses in Bladen County that had been selected as recipients of the CDBG-Scattered Site Program. Lowery said there was some concerns with the location of the selected units. All are located in the southeastern part of the county.

He told the board all were selected on a points system. Lowery said, “These are the worst of the worst homes on our list.”  

Commissioners had questions about the selection process and asked if these houses were being used as drug houses and did LRCOG check on these residents once the homes were rebuilt. Once their questions were answered, they voted 7-1 to approve the recommended list. Larry Smith voted no. 

Lowery said the houses would be demolished and rebuilt. The home owner has a deed of trust for eight years and cannot sell the home. 

Bladen County Recreation Director Grant Pait made a presentation regarding the Comprehensive System-Wide Plan completed several months ago with the assistance of a professor and students from East Carolina University.

Pait said, “Many of the players and their parents travel to other recreation department sites and they see where we need improvements and updates to our location. If we improve our County Park it would bring more tournaments and open the door for more regular sporting events in our area.”  

The board agreed to place his request on the agenda for the next meeting.

Sheriff Steve Bunn told the Commissioners a recent jail inspection resulted in a need for additional equipment.  

A new inspector inspected the jail in September 2009 on a bi-annual inspection.

“Inmates work in the kitchen assisting in the preparation of meals,” Bunn said. “The inspector said it would be necessary to have a deputy in the kitchen while the trustees were working or add a surveillance cameras in the area.”

One other area that concerned the inspector was a medical isolation cell that is used for sick inmates that needed to be segregated, sometimes for mental patients and sometime for female inmates. The inspector advised Bunn that a jailer would be needed for this area, too, or some form of surveillance equipment.  

The county spent about $100,000 last year to install cameras in most of the jail. In fact, all except the kitchen and isolation cell were covered in the initial instillation. According to Bunn, the cost of the two extra cameras is expected to be about $20,000.

The inspector is scheduled to return in late January or early February and some progress needed to be made prior to that date according to the Sheriff. The Board agreed to discuss the issue at an upcoming special meeting.