Coroner asks for four-wheel drive

Coroner James Richard Anderson asked the board of supervisors to purchase a four-wheel drive Expedition at the September 17 meeting of the board.

He proposed to get another vehicle because of the need of a four-wheel drive during Ice Storm 2026. He said he was unable to pick up bodies in the van.

He got seven death calls, he said.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie O’Neil Bennett asked Anderson if he planned to sell the van.

“We have over 300 calls a year,” Anderson said. “A lot of things (mechanical) are going on with the van.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III said the board has been talking about another vehicle to have on a standby basis, a used vehicle.

Anderson said the county “may as well get a new vehicle rather than have to spend money to get it fixed.”

“You have a question with it?” Zinn asked.

Bennett asked what a new vehicle will cost on state contract.

“Tahoes are hard to come by,” said Larry Rankin with the Sheriff’s Department.

Anderson said he made 347 calls last year and averages four to five calls a week. Tahoes cost up to $100,000, he said.

“You have to follow state contract or have two quotes,” said county administrator Tim Powell.

District 1 supervisor Goston Glover said he wanted to table the matter until the next meeting.

“There’s a lot of taxpayer money right here,” Bennett said. “We need to discuss this.” The board tabled the discussion.

Supervisors discussed having a separate ice storm debris and monitoring contract from the City of Holly Springs. Bennett said the emergency declaration just covers the county.

“They will have to do their own contract,” said Powell. “If you take a certificate of responsibility, that’s their burden to bear. I want them to get all their money back as well.”

“The collection of debris,” Zinn said.

Powell said a threshold of debris has to be met.

“We don’t have a declaration by FEMA yet,” he said. “Then after declaration, they will measure the yards. The city is different. We certainly cannot get outside the county.”

(The FEMA declaration came in after this meeting.)

Zinn said there will be a lot of debris in Holly Springs and in the town of Potts Camp.

“Let’s get it all going one way,” Powell said. “As far as dump sites, chipping,” Powell said. “We just have to get debris reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”

Marshall Steakhouse, R/V Park

Randall Swaney was back in the boardroom seeking approval of a proposed R/V Park and cabins.

He said he discussed the matter with Charles Terry in 2016 when Terry was a supervisor, who asked him to come up with a plan. He needed a liquor license and obtained a resort status in order to be able to serve liquor in the county.

Randall said he had difficulty getting the cottages built because he has no sewer system and has to work with a septic system. He said he worked with public works director Will Denton to try to get sewer extended from the city and the cost was going to be $750,000 to do that.

He said his project is an $8 million project and it would be done nicely.

Cabins would be about 400 square feet, which he said was about the size of a hotel room.

“In order to move forward, this is a mixture of cabins and an RV Park,” he said.

Each cabin would sleep up to six people, he said.

He showed a schematic he had drawn up in 2016 when he had four parcels and got the property zoned commercial.

“We could built a hotel, but people want to be in a cabin,” he said.

“How many cabins?” asked Bennett.

“Fifty cabins and 100 R/V sites,” he said.

District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker said the drainage and elevation needs to be done.

“I need grade. You got a lot of hills and hollows,” Walker said.

Swaney said he would spend between $30,000 and $40,000 on the sewer plan, but he will not spend that unless the county approves his plan.

“You gotta have a plan,” Walker said.

`I agree with the plan and would love it to go in,” District 1 supervisor Goston Glover said. “It’s in my district, if you do get it approved.”

“Before I get a permit, I got to get a plan,” Swaney said.

“I’m not approving anything until I see a plan,” Walker said.

“I do, too,” said Bennett.

Glover said no one would spend $30,000 to $40,000 without getting approval.

Bennett asked if Swaney was going to fulfill his obligation to the county to finish “that red-iron building.”

“If the request is to pave the parking lot, I’ll get it paved,” Swaney said.

He said a number of sheriff’s deputies provide security and earn extra income at his steakhouse.

“Paving is not required,” Swaney said. “What about the red-iron building?” Bennett asked.

Swaney said he can’t do anything with it because there is no sewer.

Zoning administrator David Johnson said the property would have to be rezoned and would go in under a special exception in a R3 zone.

“We will have sewer,” Swaney said.

Jennifer Stroupe said Swaney needs to put his money where his mouth is.

“You’ve been a thorn in my side for a long time and I’m getting sick of it,” Swaney shot back.

Glover made a motion to allow Swaney his request pending approval from zoning. “The first step is to get it re-zoned,” said board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith.

“For rental cabins, it has to be rezoned,” said zoning administrator David Johnson.

“I did what you asked,” Swaney said. “It’s commercial property. Rvs have been bypassing on I-22 and going to the next place.”

“I just want it done correctly, leave a legacy in the county we did it correctly,” Bennett said.

Walker said he wants to see a plan, not something drawn on a piece of cardboard.

“The board of supervisors approved that on a piece of cardboard?” he asked.

“Yes,” Swaney said. “You are going to spend $11 million on a project and cannot afford $30,000 to $40,000?” Walker asked. Swaney said he had the property rezoned commercial years ago. “It’s all commercial,” he said.