WINDSOR – After several months of discussion, it appears Bertie County officials will put a pair of old pieces of county property to good use.

At Monday’s board of commissioners meeting, Bertie’s elected leaders heard from two individuals interested in using the county-owned buildings located near the old Bertie Memorial Hospital.

Bertie County Sheriff Greg Atkins informed the commissioners that his department needed room to expand.

“We can use the space,” Atkins said in reference to the county-owned property located behind the old hospital.

In regards to the other piece of property, Bertie Commissioner Norman Cherry Sr. said the Bertie Partnership for Children was currently exploring the possibility of merging with another entity and was in need of office space.

Cherry, who serves as a member of Partnership for Children Board of Directors, asked if the building (Dr. Jordan’s old office) could be used by the Partnership if and when the merger was completed.

A motion was made and passed to allow the Sheriff’s Office and the Partnership for Children to make use of the property.

While at Monday’s meeting, Sheriff Atkins addressed the board concerning salary adjustments for his deputies.

“Most all law enforcement agencies are now engaged in competition for officers,” Atkins said. “I would like to see us raise the starting salary for our deputies in order to put us in the same range of what other counties are offering. That way we can compete for and hopefully retain these officers.”

Board Chairman Rick Harrell thanked the Sheriff for his input and said the board would discuss the specifics of the request with County Manager Zee Lamb.