City looking for funds to continue demolitions
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on October 5, 2008 7:51 AM
After Goldsboro Mayor Al King ordered at a recent City Council meeting that more be done to rid the city of dilapidated structures, inspection department officials wrote up more such dwellings than ever before -- meaning more demolition and, in turn, the need for more money.
And on Monday, Chief Building Inspector Ed Cianfarra will go before the council to ask for $75,000 more in demolition funds.
The original $75,000 budgeted for the year has already been or will shortly be used for demolition and asbestos removal.
But he's not just coming asking for more money. Cianfarra also will be bringing five new dilapidated dwellings to the council for condemnation and demolition.
Those are 213 and 215 N. Georgia Ave., 1311 Cobb St., 702 E. Elm St. and 1013 Greenleaf St.
Also on Monday, Council members will discuss the preliminary design for sewer system improvements for the newly annexed areas around Buck Swamp and Salem Church roads, a project that is expected to cost $517,600.
The current budget, though, does not have sufficient funds appropriated for the project, since the revised contract came back higher after it had to be renegotiated due to a lengthy legal battle over the area.
The city will fund the project this year using Sanitary Sewer Bonds or installment financing, but until then, a loan from the utility fund will finance the project.
Once through with that discusssion, members then have several items to discuss from the city's Planning Board meeting last week.
Among those are a rezoning request by Jenny Aycock to change property on the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 117 North and Belfast Road from residential and watershed protection to neighborhood business and watershed protection to allow for the operation of a hunting and fishing supply store, a rezoning request made by United in Christ Church to change property on the east side of Patetown Road between New Hope Road and Tommy's Road from a single family residential zone to office and institutional conditional district, and a conditional use permit for the east side of U.S. 117 South between Sherman Street and Veterans Drive to allow for the operation of a used car lot.
The council will also decide upon a zoning ordinance amendment that would change requirements in the office-residence sign area. The current ordinance allows one sign that isn't illuminated and is under 4 feet in height with a maximum size of 10 square feet for both freestanding and wall signs.
The proposed change would allow an increase in freestanding sign size to 32 square feet for offices fronting Ash Street, east of Jefferson Avenue, but the area for wall signs would remain the same.
In other business, the council will discuss the closing of a portion of Pineview Avenue from the southern right-of-way of Park Avenue A continuing southward to its terminus; three site and landscape plans for Jenny Aycock for the same location where a rezoning was requested, Ram Rent-All for property on Graves Drive, and a property at 403 South William Street for a duplex.
It also will discuss a sign modification to allow a large truck scale sign at Down East Travel on the west side of U.S. 117 South, a spacing modification to allow the operation of a special populations use at Wayside Fellowship Home on East Walnut Street, the temporary closing of Center, Walnut, Jefferson and Mulberry streets on Oct. 25 for a 5K road race, and budget amendments.