Sep. 23—The Raleigh County Commission approved bids for work at the courthouse and the new sheriff's station and rezoned two properties from residential to commercial during their regular meeting Tuesday morning.

Bids for a garage at the new Raleigh County sheriff's station in the Pinecrest Industrial Park were opened at the start of the meeting. A total of three bids were received, which ranged in price from roughly $75,000 to more than $88,000.

After reviewing the bids for the garage, Steve Davis, the project manager for the new building, recommended commissioners accept the company with the lowest bid, which was from North Carolina Carports and Garage for $75,340.

Commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation.

Davis said the new sheriff's station is about 85 percent complete but is months behind schedule due to delays with materials.

"Just about anything you try to get you can't get now," he said.

Davis said the building was originally expected to be completed by mid-July.

Davis said they have yet to receive the main distribution panel used for electric for the building. He added that there has also been a delay in receiving exterior windows.

"Our new (completion) date is Oct. 17, but I'm not sure we're going to make that because there's still stuff we can't get," he said.

Davis said the theory he's been told as to why there is such a widespread delay in materials is that there are not enough workers to keep up with the demand for materials.

"What a lot of companies have told us is that back when Covid hit, they laid everybody off," he said. "Those people found other jobs and now they can't get their workforce back because they're doing other jobs. They can't amp up their production because they don't have enough people."

In other business, commissioners approved a $37,836 bid with Advance Building Restorations of South Point, Ohio, for masonry work on the Raleigh County Courthouse.

Raleigh County Engineer Detlef Ulfers said Advance Building Restorations was the sole bidder. He added that the bid did come in higher than he was anticipating, saying that is becoming the norm post-Covid.

Commissioners also approved two rezoning petitions from residents who requested that their properties be rezoned from R1 (rural residential) to B1 (commercial) so they could open a business on their properties.

The first petition to be approved was from Juan Maldonado, who plans to open a beauty shop at a property along Robert C. Byrd Drive in Mount Hope.

Billy Michael, the county's assistant administrator, said the property consists of 0.17 acre. He said it sits next to the Dollar General in Bradley, an existing commercial business.

Michael said the house on the property previously caught on fire and has since been bought and is being remodeled by the Maldonado family to open their beauty shop.

The second petition to be approved was from Robert Cole, who plans to open a commercial powder coating, ceramic coating and sandblasting shop at a property located on Harper Road in Eccles.

Michael said the zoning changes would impact 1.5 acres, which are spread out over four parcels.

He added that this land was incorrectly zoned as residential despite being used by commercial businesses for some time.

Both petitions went before the Raleigh County Planning and Zoning Commission, which is standard procedure, on Sept. 15, which recommended that the petitions be approved.

Commissioners also approved a budget revision for the Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The revision moves $2,500 from the retirement line item to the contracted services line item in the prosecuting attorney's budget.

The Raleigh County Commission meets at 10 a.m. the first and third Tuesday of every month in commission chambers.

The commission's next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 4.

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