Princeton town board annexing businesses
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on August 3, 2004 1:56 PM
PRINCETON -- The Princeton town board has begun annexing several businesses at the intersection of U.S. 70 and Edwards Road. The board also wants to annex five homes.
Mayor Don Rains said the proposed annexation would increase the town's tax base.
"It would give the town the ability to do more projects and perhaps reduce the tax rate," Rains said during Monday night's monthly meeting in the Community Building.
The areas already are served with town water and sewer.
Billy Talton, a developer, had asked the board to annex his new Comco gas station on Edwards Road, just north of U.S. 70. At the same time, the town board wants to annex a strip mall being built by Cornerstone Development on the northwest corner between U.S. 70 and the gas station.
Three homes that the board wants to annex are on West First Street, and the others are on Azalea Drive and North Pearl Street.
A small portion of the Bojangles fast-food restaurant property at the southeast corner of the U.S. 70 intersection, and the town cemetery also were included in the annexation plan.
Mayor Rains said he wanted to get the land annexed by Dec. 31 so that it could be included in the town's tax books for 2004-05. If it were not annexed, then the properties could not be included until the next fiscal year.
Town Clerk Marla Ashworth said she had certified that the petitioners were the legal property owners. She said the board had discussed the annexation during its spring retreat.
The board voted 3-0 to schedule a public hearing on the annexation request for its next meeting. It will be held Tuesday, Sept. 7, one day later than usual to avoid a conflict with Labor Day.
Proclamation presented
The board presented a framed proclamation of appreciation to the family of S.S. "Pete" Lee Jr. for his many years of service to the town. Lee's wife, Margaret, and his son, Herbert, accepted the proclamation from Rains.
Lee died in April at the age of 82. He served one term on the town board, 35 years with the fire department and 30 years with the rescue squad. He also served six years as the chief judge of the Princeton precinct for the county Board of Elections. He was an active member of Princeton Baptist Church.
Chief recovering
Police Chief Eddie Lewis was recovering at home after undergoing surgery Monday, Mrs. Ashworth said. He will be sidelined for several weeks. In his absence, Sgt. William Seawell presented a routine monthly police report to the board.
In other business, the town board:
*Approved a request from Terri Sutton to hold a second annual Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 6. The all-day program will include a parade, entertainment, local vendors, a Lions club barbecue and fireworks.
*Approved a town Web page presented by Brenda Ingram. The Web address will be www.princetonnc27569.homestead.com. The cost to the town will be $100 a year.
*Discussed but took no action on repairing a water line on Third Street. One resident, Ed Weeks, has complained about cloudy tap water for years.