By Josh Bergeron 

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Animal control, West End Plaza, jobs training programs, and a county-owned water and sewer system dot the agenda for Rowan County commissioners’ two-day retreat that starts Thursday.

The retreat, which is open to the public, starts at 8:45 a.m. in the county administration building’s second-floor meeting room. On Thursday, it is scheduled to end at 2:30 p.m. On Friday, commissioners will reconvene at 8:45 a.m.

The retreat schedule shows that discussion of a county-owned water and sewer system will take up the largest portion of time. On Friday, commissioners are scheduled to talk about water and sewer plans from 8:45 a.m. to noon. That time will be divided into two work sessions. The first will be about a water and sewer expansion into an area in and around the Bostian Heights area of southern Rowan County. The second work session, starting at 11 a.m., will be about water and sewer work in the Dukeville area.

Commissioners have said a county-owned water and sewer system is primarily aimed at speeding up economic development in Rowan. However, in the northern area that will likely include connecting water lines to residences and churches because of concerns about coal ash contamination.

It will be the third straight year commissioners have held a retreat, which is meant to help plan for the coming year and review past efforts.

The first day’s schedule is as follows:

• 8:45 a.m. – Review accomplishments
• 9:30 a.m. – Branding initiative
• 10 a.m. – Review mission/vision
• 10:15 a.m. – Break
• 10:30 a.m. – Job training program
• 11 a.m. – Parks & Recreation: ROPES course
• Noon – Lunch
• 12:30 p.m. – West End Plaza
• 2:15 p.m. – Proposed form for animal control officers
• 2:30 p.m. – Recess

The second day schedule is:

• 8:45 a.m. – Water and sewer work session, south expansion
• 11 a.m. – Water and sewer work session, north expansion in the Dukeville area
• Noon – Lunch
• 12:30 p.m. – 2017-18 priorities
• 1:30 p.m. – Longer-term priorities
• Adjournment

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.