Cooperative Extension building, which is a welcome addition to the community. “We got funding from the state, and also funding from ourselves. It was a little over $5 million for that project,” depicts Trent. “We wanted something that would pop- something when people drive into Bertie County and they see it, they think to themselves-‘wow, we didn’t expect to see this in Bertie County.’” This remarkable modern facility includes a $1 million meeting center, which is used to host county commissioner meetings and other gatherings and is thoughtfully designed for comfort and accessibility. With upgrades to existing public schools, and the planned addition of the Career & Technical Education Center at the high school in the next year, Bertie County keeps an eye on fiscal responsibility. Trent shares that the county has paid off significant debts on the middle school, hospital, and health department buildings, allowing for reinvestment in new projects. “We have lowered our debt to cash revenue by $6 million,” he recounts. “We were running about $31 million, we’re down to about 25, and the middle school and the hospital have been paid off.” The county hospital, now operated by ECU Health, includes a helicopter station, four EMS trucks and a 60-person team. Trent notes that Bertie County’s EMS system is one of the region’s strongest and is a 73 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12 BERTIE COUNTY, NC
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