Ward

Ward

RALEIGH — Scotland County taxpayers remain on the hook for a $575,000 snafu created when the county’s economic development director allegedly allowed work to begin on a project early and attempted to mislead state officials, nullifying a grant from the NC Department of Commerce.

The county was subsequently OK’d for a loan for that amount from Commerce, though it won’t be funded until the county produces receipts showing that the work has been completed.

According to Mark Ward earlier this month, the possibility that the Rural Infrastructure Authority would waive the debt during a meeting Thursday was reason enough not to talk about the circumstances surrounding the grant’s loss.

“I work for a board and the county commissioners, and don’t want to say anything that might jeopardize the county from being cleared” of the $575,000 debt,” Ward said.

The Rural Infrastructure Authority’s board did meet Thursday and handled numerous project requests around the state, but the Scotland County debt from work done at Edward Woods Products was not on the agenda.

The question now is, does the Authority intend to discuss it at all.

According to one state official, who did not want to be identified, he wasn’t sure if the Scotland County issue would ever be put on the agenda. If not forgiven, the county will continue to make payments on the loan for the next five years.

Calls to a few county commissioners on Thursday from The Laurinburg Exchange brought few responses. But Commissioner Tim Ivey did say he was surprised the Authority did not discuss the $575,000 debt.

“I really was surprised it wasn’t, but since nothing has changed as far as the work being completed, I assume they aren’t doing anything further on it, including the loan, which has not been funded to the county,” he said.

The entire issue surrounds an initial project of a water tower in 2017 at Edward Woods. A grant from NCDOC was approved but was pulled back when work was done prior to the grant being approved. The state told the county to reapply, which it did in 2018, this time for a railroad spur at Edward Woods.

Again, the grant was OK’d — but again, work was started too early and emails from Ward showed that he asked for changes on dates that work was done. The grant was rescinded.

W. Curt Vincent and JJ Melton can be reached at 910-506-3023.