Bids came in too high for the planned dredging of North Wilkesboro’s Reddies River water intake area. The least expensive bid was more than 200-thousand dollars more expensive than the town’s budget of 300-thousand dollars, and the most expensive bid was 1-point-22 million dollars. Because North Wilkesboro is not equipped to dredge the intake impoundment area itself, Town Board members last night approved an emergency declaration. Unlike most emergency declarations, this does not mean there is any current health or safety threat to residents — only that without quick action, the situation could become risky.
The declaration is a way for the town to short-circuit the bureaucratic hoops put in place by the state, most of which had already been met in relation to the project anyway. Without the emergency declaration, the town would have had to meet all the requirements again because commissioners rejected all three bids. Town Manager Hank Perkins told the Journal-Patriot, “it’s just a situation in which we need to proceed with as soon as possible, due to weather conditions and other factors. We expect to commence with the dredging project very shortly.” Once a price is negotiated with a contractor, the dredging project would take at least nine months to complete.

The Food and Drug Protection Division at the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently won federal grants worth as much as $2 million to protect food and animal feed, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced.

“A safe food supply is critical to protecting public health and our economy,” Troxler said. “These grants will enhance our ability to protect the food we eat and the feed our animals eat.”

The division received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to set up rapid response teams that can take action during food emergencies. The grant money will be used for training, equipment and technology. Five other states also received grants to establish teams.

“These teams will give us the ability to act very quickly to minimize public health risks and reduce the potential economic impacts of food-related incidents,” Troxler said.

North Carolina was one of four states selected by the FDA to receive a two-year grant worth nearly $500,000 for efforts to prevent the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as BSE or “mad cow disease.”

The United States has banned the use of certain cattle materials in feed for cattle and other ruminant animals since 1997. Beginning in April 2009, the ban will apply to all animal feed, including pet food.

The grant will help support the division’s feed-sampling and testing capabilities. The division also will use the grant money for compliance inspections at companies involved in the manufacture, distribution and transportation of animal feed. In addition, the grant will support education and outreach to farms that mix their own feed for ruminant animals.

Funeral arrangements have been announced for the North Carolina DOT supervisor who died this weekend after being critically injured in a crash in Yadkin county two weeks ago. 69-year old Albert Suddith of Wilkesboro was critically injured when his parked work truck was hit by a tractor-trailer loaded with lumber on September 25th. His funeral service is scheduled for 2pm Thursday at New Damascus Baptist Church with the Reverend James Little officiating. Burial will follow in High View Cemetery. Visitation is set for tomorrow night from 6 to 8pm at Miller Funeral Service. Memorials are suggested to the American Heart Association or the church.

According to rescue workers, Suddith sustained critical head and internal injuries, along with fractures. Suddith was supervising a prison work crew when the wreck happened. 51-year old Lewis James Roland of Wilkesboro was westbound in the semi and changed from the left to the right lane after passing another vehicle, according to troopers. Roland’s tractor-trailer went off on the right, colliding with the rear of the pickup truck, which was parked on the shoulder of the highway. Roland was charged yesterday with involuntary manslaughter.