The Pasquotank County Commissioners and Elizabeth City City Council Joint Session Meeting began at 5:30pm and ended at 7:00pm.
Barry Overman prayed for people who were going through so much at this time during the invocation and for those serving our country abroad.
Mayor Bettie Parker said she was very proud to get the commissioners and council together to talk together about one shared vision for the county and city and see presentations that show our commonality.
Chairman Lloyd Griffin talked about plywood costs going from $9/sheet to $45/sheet in the last year. He mentioned new growth in the area with storefronts filling up with not many available for rent. He spoke about the commercial development of the county.
Montre Freeman the City Manager for Elizabeth City spoke to say his staff would not dare let Women’s History Month go out without recognizing the amazing impact of women and celebrating our Mayor. Mayor Pro Tem Johnnie Walton made a presentation to Mayor Bettie Parker for Women’s History month to honor her for being the first female mayor of Elizabeth City. He spoke about needing offense and defense together on a team to make a good team made up of both parts. He spoke about a goal of this year was to give recognition to people who have served the community. He said Women’s History Month was first recognized by Congress in 1987 as he gave a presentation to Mayor Bettie Parker. He proclaimed March as Women’s History Month in Elizabeth City. The Mayor said that very seldom she is at a loss for words but this time she was and she sat down.
County Manager Sparty Hammett introduced new Emergency Management Director Brian Parnell who started on January 4th, 2021 and is responsible currently for Covid-19 vaccine clinics. He said that for continued success there needed to be strong communication and cooperation between departments. He said that Brian was formerly with the NC Division of Public Safety since May of 2013 so he knows all the players. For more information visit https://www.pasquotankcountync.org/pcecem
College of the Albemarle President Dr. Jack Bagwell made a presentation to give insights on growth and the future of COA. He said that COA serves 7 counties in the area. He said they are the first Comprehensive Community College in North Carolina. He pointed out Commissioner Bill Sterritt being former faculty at COA. In the present COA is now offering its first nursing program and is working on a dental assistant program. They have a new CDL Program on the Chowan campus. In Fall of 2021 an 18,000 square foot facility is coming to Currituck. In the Spring/Summer of 2022 a 36,000 square foot facility will be completed in Dare County. For more information visit https://www.albemarle.edu
Albemarle Regional Health Services Director Battle Betts gave an update on the Covid-19 situation in Pasquotank County. He credited a partnership with the National Guard for helping them to ensure that vaccines are distributed in a very efficient manner. He said ECSU gave them the use of ultra cool storage to even be able to accept Pfizer vaccines. His team used GIS mapping from Meals on Wheels to go around and take hot meals and vaccines to homebound citizens and those in the most vulnerable situations.
Betts went on to say they are currently serving everyone 18 and over in all 8 surrounding counties who are seeking vaccination. He talked about Pasquotank County being in the top 5 of the counties in North Carolina in leading in vaccine distribution. He praised the work of the COA nursing students who are getting experience in administering the vaccinations.
The latest update as of Friday was that there were 97 cases of Covid in the region he said, with 25 active Covid-19 cases in Pasquotank and 6 in Camden. He said those were very low numbers and that there were vastly higher numbers of other communicable diseases in our community.
Betts said that hopefully in the new normal we retain the emphasis on hand sanitization and good hygiene and staying away from each other and maintain an awareness of being prepared for the next emergency to come. He said he also thinks they will be dealing with the effects of Covid-19 causing people to delay medical visits for routine checkups or treatment for a long time.
For more information visit https://arhs-nc.org
Northeastern Workforce Development Board (Albemarle Commission) Director David Whitmer spoke. For more information visit https://nwdbworks.com
Visit Elizabeth City Executive Director Corrina Ruffieux gave her annual tourism report. For more information visit https://visitelizabethcity.com
A WalkEC Representative Shom Tiwari spoke. For more information on WalkEC visit https://www.cityofec.com/index.asp?SEC=0EC4F1E3-3BFC-4746-85A3-453FFC6AF779&Type=B_BASIC
To watch video excerpts from meetings check our Pasquotank County Commissioner Meeting Videos page.