By Dakota Baker
The Greenbrier County Commission held a special meeting on Monday, Apr. 28 at 9 a.m. to consider an issuance of lease revenue bonds from the Building Commission to the Greenbrier County Board of Education. Also on the agenda was the consideration of a new hire to fill the Sheriff’s Tax Office vacancy. Pamela L. Baker from Smoot had all background checks completed and returned satisfactory results, and the Commission approved her hiring.
Next, the Commission discussed the issuance of bonds by the Greenbrier County Building Commission in an amount not to exceed $4.3 million for the purchase of real property in Fairlea. The property the BOE is attempting to purchase is located directly adjacent to Greenbrier East High School, and was formerly owned by Appalachian Electronic Instruments (AEI). The Commission went into an executive session to seek advice from its legal counsel.
After the executive session, the Greenbrier County Commission decided this was not a proper use of their building commission, which is used for projects such as the recent renovations of the courthouse, and it may not be a legal avenue to use the building commission for what the BOE is requesting. This motion was then denied, despite commission members believing that the purchase would be “beneficial” to the BOE.
