1998 Outstanding Award Winners

Public Awareness/Public Participation

Human Services

School System Teacher/First Responder Program
Surry County

After a review of Surry County’s emergency medical services found several responses to county schools, officials wondered if some school employees could be trained to do more than dial 911 and wait for help to arrive.

The county created an in-house first-responder program for teachers. The instruction was intended to give the educators some tools to deal with common emergencies and stabilize patients until the ambulances arrive. Instruction includes airway management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, seizures, drug overdose, patient assessment, fracture stabilization, child abuse, and accessing the EMS system.

Wheels-to-Work
Forsyth County

The road to self-sufficiency is a difficult one for many people on public assistance, but a Forsyth County program can make the ride a little smoother.

Wheels-to-Work is a partnership between the county commissioners, social services and Goodwill Industries of Northwestern North Carolina Inc. The county first donated several surplus fleet vehicles to Goodwill. Selected Work First participants can own one of these vehicles by reimbursing Goodwill the initial cost of liability insurance, any necessary repairs, taxes, and license and titles fees. To qualify to buy a car, a Work First client must have a valid driver's license and cannot be able to use public transportation to reach a job site.

The county gave seven vehicles to the program. Subsequently, private individuals donated another 17 vehicles. A few of the vehicles were not feasible to repair and were sold for scrap, with revenues going into the fund.

Nineteen cars have been sold to Work First clients, who were all then able to get jobs. Sixteen of these people left the public assistance rolls almost immediately. The county's savings are estimated at more than $30,000.

The Friendly Skies: Work First in Halifax County
Halifax County

Jobs can be hard to come by in Halifax County, where unemployment runs two to three times the state average. That forces the Work First officials to be creative. When they heard that American Airlines was hiring people for its call center in Cary, they figured, if the jobs won't come here, maybe our clients can go to the jobs.

The project involved the cooperation of the Work First program and other DSS employees; the DSS board; the county commissioners; the Governor's Work First Business Council; the learning center; the transportation authority; and Halifax County Mental Health Center.

Welcome Baby
Durham County

Babies don't come with instruction manuals, but Durham County's Welcome Baby program tries to fill that need. Begun in 1987, Welcome Baby was built on the premises that parenting is a stressful and challenging responsibility and that all parents need and deserve support. The program, which is open to all new parents in the county, works to increase parents' and other caregivers' knowledge of child development. It also reduces the feelings of isolation felt by new parents.

Around 100 families a month visit the Welcome Baby Resource Center. Parents of newborns are matched with one of more than 30 trained volunteers, who offer support and as ongoing resources. Parenting classes and workshops are offered. A lending library of books and videos is available.

The program costs the county about $70,000 a year. Aiding in this effort is Busy Street, a children museum in Durham that supplies office space; Duke University Medical Center and Durham Regional Hospital, which jointly print the newsletter for free; Lincoln Community Health Center, which hosts a newborn clinic; and Genesis Home, which hosts a monthly support group.

Public Education/Involvement

Teen Court Program
Alamance County

Alamance County’s Teen Court was initiated to reduce the number of juveniles in the court system by allowing youth ages 12-16 who have been accused of non-violent, first-time minor offenses to be sentenced by a jury of their peers. It was initiated by the Community Based Alternatives Youth Services Advisory Committee.

By allowing youth to hold each other accountable, the program allows teens to gain greater responsibility for their behavior within the community. The $38,166 annual budget comes from several sources, including county and state funds, donations and in-kind support.

Major objectives of the program have been exceeded, including having 100 percent of teen court clients complete their recommended sanctions within 90 days of their hearings. Also, there is a 100 percent success rate in clients not being returned to court on another offense within three months of sanction completion. Sanctions can include community service, jail tours, victim and/or parent apology letters, educational seminars, essays and required jury duty. As of Oct.31, 1998, 17 youth clients had participated. By the end of June 1999, they expect to serve 60 to 80 youth.

Working for a Cavity Free Generation
Catawba County

Partnerships Working for a Cavity Free Generation relied on a collaborative team approach to educate parents and young children (six months to age 5) about the prevention of dental disease. It was the first comprehensive program in the state aimed at children under age 5.

As a first step, county health department staff received advanced training on dental health to better counsel patients on dental topics during regular health appointments or home visits. Second, the county developed an age appropriate curriculum kit, called “Tooth Time”, for day care workers to teach young children. The kits, which are in high demand, have since been approved by the state’s health agency.

The program was expanded in 1997-98 to serve 3,191 children, 1,702 adults and 59 day care facilities. Health department staff, day care workers, parents and the County Partnership for Children have all given the program very positive evaluations.

Waste Education Center
Catawba County

Catawba County’s Waste Education Center is the first phase to reduce and provide proper disposal for household hazardous waste. It started with a special county waste task force based in the Cooperative Extension Service in 1989. A survey of residents indicated the need for a Waste Education Center and, in a second phase, a permanent regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility. The task force learned that many entities had tried to build a collection center first, without much public understanding of what was involved in waste reduction and recycling.

The Waste Education Center was built in the spring of 1997 and was in operation on Dec. 16, 1997. It is first one-stop waste center in the state and is one of the few in the nation. In nearly one year of operation, the center has had more than 100 visitors who participated in a hands-on educational program. The center also mails a quarterly newsletter to more than 300 people. All fifth grade teachers in the county have received an information and activity packet.

The Center serves to prepare residents for a permanent household hazardous waste collection facility, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 1999 and to encourage further waste reduction and recycling. It will eventually become part of an on-site waste education facility at the county’s landfill once the collection facility is completed.

Youth Voices Youth Issues
Gaston County

Gaston County’s Youth Voices Youth Issues program will receive an Outstanding County Program Award from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. The program is one of 12 winners selected on Dec. 16 from a total of 85 entries. The judges recognized the program for its superior innovation and collaboration. The award will be presented during one of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners meetings in February or March.

Youth Voices Youth Issues allowed citizens to spend time in the classroom with students to have open discussions related to diversity and race relations, including how to effectively understand change and resolve conflicts. The program is comprised of weekly lessons over a six-week period and will eventually be used in each of the middle schools at a cost of $1,500 per school.

Leaders of the project came from the Class of 1948 at both Gastonia High School and Highland High School, which were racially segregated at that time. The two high school classes held a joint 50-year class reunion. Leaders from each high school wanted the chance to revisit some of their old viewpoints and to reinforce new ways of thinking.

General Government

Consolidated Planning Services
Lee County

In less than two years, Lee County worked with the city of Sanford and the town of Broadway to consolidate planning services, a successful step in the potential creation of a metro-government. This may be the first time that such a consolidation has happened in a county with less than 50,000 population. The effort received support from the Chamber of Commerce, area homebuilders, the Lee County Committee of 100.

Behind the consolidation was a desire to more closely coordinate comprehensive land use planning, create a central one-stop office to apply for permits and to take advantage of the efficiencies of combining staff performing similar tasks.

The Board of Commissioners approved an inter-local agreement with the City of Sanford in June of 1997 to consolidate planning services under the direction of the city’s Community Development office and the city manager. The Town of Broadway joined the agreement in July 1997. The county’s inspections function was not initially approved to be combined, but the county did agree to locate county inspections in the same office as city inspections.

County Government Academy
Moore County

In the spring of 1997, County Manager David McNeill, Jr. developed Moore County Government Academy for small groups of county employees to learn more about other functions and services of the county, while forming networks with other employees and learning more about advancement opportunities. Four academies had been completed as of December 1998.

Employees must apply for the program, which provides weekly classes over 11 weeks. Up to 15 employees are accepted for each Academy, which requires hands-on training in every county department and agency. Students also must attend at least one county commissioner meeting and two advisory board meetings of their choice. All departments have welcomed the chance to promote their work and inform employees. As to the limited expenses, the departments share meal expenses and the county van provides transportation to off-site locations.

At the end of the Academy, participants evaluate their experience and develop a project designed to improve effectiveness or efficiency of government operations, or to assist a department with a one-time project. Some sample projects include: assisting the Board of Elections with an “addressing module” to facilitate precinct assignments for new voter registrations or address changes; assisting the Planning Department with a windshield survey of land uses; and assisting in the development of a web page for each county department.

Contract Management Program
Durham County

Durham County’s Contract Management Program assures the effective, timely management of the contracting process while providing consistent adherence to legal and financial requirements. This has required shifting the contract administration function from individual departments to a central county location.

Over an 18-month period, the county successfully implemented the first contract management process of this type. The process began with getting the full commitment of county departments and concluded with delivering a fully staffed, well-documented, user-friendly effective program. The process required creating one full-time position plus office space and resources.

Fun Junktion
Pasquotank County

Pasquotank County’s Fun Junktion educational and recreational park will receive an Outstanding County Program Award from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. The program is one of 12 winners selected on Dec. 16 from a total of 85 entries. The judges recognized the program for its superior innovation and collaboration. The award will be presented during one of the Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners meetings in February or March.

Fun Junktion proves that closing a county solid waste landfill can produce positive results. When Pasquotank County had to close its landfill to build a more modern one, the Solid Waste Commission suggested using the 130 acres of the old landfill to support activities for local residents and to attract tourists. A suggested plan included basketball courts, fitness course, walking trails, playground, volleyball courts and scattered picnic sites. Borrow pits could be turned into fishing and water skiing locations, while an additional pond could be used for swimming.

The park represents a high level of collaboration of diverse groups. Skills, Inc., a rehabilitative agency for disabled adults, built picnic tables and pickets, while H. L. Trigg Community School students personalized the pickets as a fund-raiser for the park. The River City Ski Club built the boat ramps and provided concrete. J. W. Jones Lumber Company donated lumber to build a wetlands boardwalk and observation deck. Students from the College of The Albemarle learned about wiring while helping to build the rental and concession areas. Other groups involved included the N.C. Dept. of Correction, the Boy Scouts, the Forest Service, Keep Pasquotank Beautiful, Americorps, Smart Start, the Albemarle Resource and Development Commission and various county agencies and local businesses.