In Jan. 22 Issue
By Derek Aaron
Times Journal Reporter

During last Thursday's meeting of the Jamestown City Council, Mayor Brooks Bates announced that the city would go forward with the proposed fire department subscription policy for residents and businesses outside the city limits but still within the city's fire protection zone.

Bates presented council members his proposal as a suggestion and said that it was not set in stone and could be changed if necessary.

The council did not vote on the policy during the meeting and no subscription prices were discussed, but it is expected to be voted on at the February meeting with details released then, according to the mayor.

In other happenings at the meeting:

• The mayor told the council he had been approached by Judge-Executive Mickey Garner about the city selling three acres of land to the county at the Jamestown Industrial Park for the building of a new jail.

Bates said he told Garner that he couldn't speak for the council but that he would bring it up and talk about it with all council members.

Bates said he had three questions about the judges wishes, where the jail would be located on the three acres, how the jail would impact the selling of other property in the park and how much the cost would be.

o City Attorney Kevin Shearer, who is also on the Project Development Board, said the building of the new judicial center was on schedule.

He said the new center could be open for business by mid-2010 or at least by fall of that year.

"I would say it would be a 12 to 15-month process," he said.

o Public Works Director Ottis Skaggs gave an update on the Jamestown Water Plant expansion and said the new plant was now producing treated water at a rate of 4.6 million gallons per day.

"There is still a lot of work to be done at the plant," Skaggs said. "But we are producing water."

He said around 15 different county subdivisions, including six in Jamestown, were wanting to extend lines to receive water from the plant.

Mayor Bates said that Fruit of the Loom, once it completes its expansion, is asking for 300,000 more gallons of water per day.

The mayor said the Jamestown Water Plant's revamp had been a long and difficult process but that "we can see light at the end of the tunnel."

Skaggs said the treated water coming from the plant would have a distinctly better taste than it previously had.

"Just give us some time," he said.

o Bates announced that Fruit of the Loom would be shutting down production from Feb. 14-21 due to the plant's inventory build-up.

He said the shutdown was universal for all Fruit of the Loom facilities across the globe.

"They're going to try and deplete their inventory some before they get back started," Bates said. "That is not a killer there."

The Jamestown plant also closed for two weeks each in November and December.

"We lost a third of the last quarter by (Fruit of the Loom)," he said.

o Jerry Hensley with Ray, Foley, Hensley and Co. presented the city's audit for the 2007-08 fiscal year, calling his findings "as good as it gets," and a "major, major improvement" from last fiscal year.

Hensley said the city substantially increased the city's total assets through construction and growth activities.

He said the city's net assets for the fiscal year was a combined $20,879,074, up around $5 million from a year earlier with most of the funds being tied up in property, equipment, water and sewer, among other things.

"Hopefully our revenue stream will continue," Bates said. "I am well pleased.""

o The council adopted Ordinance 2008-09, an ordinance updating personnel policies and procedures and compensation plan and classification plan, following a second reading by City Clerk Kim Weston.