Weil: Paramount on track
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on April 8, 2008 2:17 PM
Local businessman David Weil believed he was coming to the Monday night meeting of the Goldsboro City Council to speak about the financial status of the Paramount Theatre.
But council members had something else planned.
Weil delivered his report, telling the council that nearly 10,000 people have visited the theater since its opening and that his original estimate of $4.5 million needed from the city is on target.
He also reported that he raised the $100,000 difference between the estimated cost and the actual cost of rebuilding the theater.
But then, Mayor Al King stood up from his seat and asked the council to talk with Weil for a moment.
King returned with a large object.
"This will be sort of like looking in the mirror," he said as he opened up a portrait of Weil painted by local artist Zeno Spence.
Weil had three words to say -- "Uh oh" and "Wow."
"That's what we were hoping you'd say," King said. "I'm sorry we couldn't do something more. ... Thank you for this contribution to the city."
"I know you're going to hate this, but you have to get over it," the mayor added, laughing. "We are going to hang this in the Paramount."
But King said the artwork will be in a prominent place -- where the portrait of the man who had the most to do with rebuilding the theater should be.
The meeting was the first City Council meeting in the newly renovated, historic chambers of the old City Hall.
After the presentation of the portrait, council recognized the former and new Miss Goldsboros, Nikki Sanderson and Lisa Mace, before getting down to business.
During the meeting, council members approved the site and landscape plan for the proposed Community Recreation Center on South Center Street and the proposed Zaxby's restaurant on Berkeley Boulevard, as well as plans for McCall's warehouse and distribution center on the southeast corner of North James Street and West Grantham Street. Council members also approved plans for an apartment complex located on the south side of Kornegay Street between Chestnut and Spruce streets.
Council also approved the expansion of the Flying Shamrock into the space next door on John Street, the operation of Redmon's on Center Street Pub and Grill and the condemnation and demolition of a dilapidated dwelling located at 629 Devereaux St.
Four rezoning requests were submitted to council, but only three were approved.
The request by Cosimo Santoro to rezone property located on the south side of East Ash Street between Carriage Road and Meadow Road from residential and noise overlay to a more residential and noise overlay zone was denied by council because it didn't go along with the city's land use plan.
Council members did approve requests for Family Works Psychological Center for to change property on the southwest corner of East Ash Street and North Andrews Avenue from residential to office-residence, for Keith Mitchell to change property located on the east side of Thoroughfare Road between Central Heights Road and Miller's Chapel Road from residential to office and institutional and for Briarwood Investments to change property located on the south side of East Ash Street between Barrow Court and Malloy Street from residential and office and institutional to neighborhood business conditional district.
Conditional use permits were also approved for Skill Creations for property located on the north side of Royall Avenue between Wayne Memorial Drive and Jefferson Avenue and for Antioch Child Care Academy for property located on the north side of West Elm Street between H.V. Brown Lane and the Seaboard Coastline Railroad.
The council set a public hearing for an amendment to the demolition by neglect ordinance for the May 19 meeting.
In other business, the council approved budget amendments and heard Wayne County Health Department Director Jim Roosen speak about the Wayne County Community Health Assess-ment.