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I hope the New Year is going well for everyone! It’s hard to believe it’s already mid-February. In January, I began serving as your Chairman of the Alexander County Board of Commissioners. This is a position that I do not take and I promise to work hard for you throughout the year and beyond. We have already made some excellent progress this year by working together for the bet- terment of our community. At our February 5th meeting, Commissioners ap- proved bids for the Bethlehem Park project. This popular park hasn’t seen upgrades since the 1990s, so we’re excited to get the project underway. What’s even more exciting is that we are spending ZERO local general fund tax dollars for the $2,355,000 project as we will utilize state-appro- priated money and sales tax dollars! I believe that enhancing quality of life is vitally important and this park will better serve all citizens of Alexander County once it’s complete. At the same meeting, we approved bids to extend sewer infrastructure at the Alexander Industrial Park off NC Hwy. 90 East. Again, this project will require ZERO local tax dollars as we leverage grant funds from the Appalachian Regional Com- mission and the North Carolina Department of En- vironmental Quality totaling $452,330. This exciting project will greatly enhance the 16-acre graded site at the industrial park with the expec- tation of attracting a major industry to Alexander County. We have numerous projects underway, including a water line extension project that will benefit cit- izens and businesses across the county. We also know that housing is at a premium these days, so once again we are leveraging grant money to ex- pand our sewer system for a significant housing project near Rink Dam Road and Bowman Court. We expect to approve bids for this sewer extension project at our March 4th meeting. We continue to work hand-in-hand with our leg- islators to secure funding for these projects, and others, including a new EMS building at station #1 in Taylorsville, an elevated water tank, additional water lines, and more. It is our goal to improve the county with a minimal usage of taxpayer dollars. The improvements at Wittenburg Access Area are almost complete, with plans to open the new swim beach and other amenities on Memorial Day weekend this year. This is going to be a fun place for our families to swim, picnic, fish, boat, and more! Many thanks to Duke Energy for their in- vestment in this project. We’re also looking into creating some pickleball courts at Jaycee Park in Taylorsville. In addition, part of the Bethlehem Park project includes con- verting two tennis courts into eight pickleball courts. This is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, so we’re excited to offer this enter- taining sport to our citizens. We appreciate our emergency services personnel so much as they generously give of their time and talents to keep everyone safe. We’re excited to soon see the completion of our new fire training facility at the Taylorsville Lions Club Fairgrounds. Our current and future firefighters will have the oppor- tunity to gain valuable hands-on training at our new facility. Of course, broadband internet access is essential for both productivity and entertainment these days. The county has been working with Open Broadband for a couple of years to provide internet access to unserved and underserved areas. We’ve also partnered with Zirrus/Yadtel to install fiber- to-the-home as part of a GREAT (Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology) grant that will fund about 300 connections. In addition, we’re working with Spectrum to pro- vide broadband to 150 local homes through the Com- pleting Access to Broadband (CAB) grant program. All of these initiatives have been imple- mented using grant funds and minimal county dollars. I’m proud of this teamwork! We’re also utilizing almost $6 million in Opioid Settlement Funds that will be received over the next 18 years to help battle addiction and hopefully prevent overdoses. We’ve implemented a Post- Overdose Response Team (PORT)/Community Paramedic program which is already making a dif- ference in our community. This is an excellent pro- gram that is being funded at no cost to the county. I hope this edition of the “Chairman’s Chat,” which highlights Alexander County’s history of re- cent partnerships and progress, has been helpful and informative. On behalf of Commissioners Kent Herman, Marty Pennell, Ronnie Reese, and Larry Yoder, County Manager Shane Fox, and county staff, please know that we are always working on your behalf and for your best interests. Our goal is to continue improving the quality of life for our citizens, and we are committed to mak- ing Alexander County an even better place to live, work, and play. Josh Lail Chairman, Alexander County Board of Commissioners Working together for progress