City Council to eye Center Street project
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on January 22, 2012 1:50 AM
The Center Street Streetscape projects is expected to get an extensive look during the Goldsboro City Council's Monday work session ahead of its regular meeting at 7 p.m.
The session will begin at 5 p.m. in the City Hall Addition at 200 N. Center St.
City Manager Scott Stevens will address the council on the project, which aims to renovate the 200 block of North Center Street.
Council members at the Jan. 9 meeting questioned the bid prices of the project after it was revealed that the lowest bid received at $1,389,857.88 from Daniels & Daniels Construction did not take into account $245,000 for utilities and 20 percent contingency, ballooning the bid total to nearly $2 million.
District 2 Councilman Bob Waller and District 6 Councilman Jackie Warrick both contested the project, even bringing into question whether Finance Director Kaye Scott should prepare financing options for the $884,725 loan the project would require.
Mayor Al King determined the council should further discuss the project, which was first put out for bid in summer of 2011, in a separate session. Mrs. Scott was charged with exploring financial options ahead of Monday's meeting. A final decision on the project's fate is expected at the Feb. 6 meeting.
Mrs. Scott also will brief the council with the city's six-month financial update during the work session along with an update from the Wayne County Development Alliance on economic development.
Four public hearings will be held, including two on conditional use permits for the north side of New Hope Road between Central Heights Road and Bear Creek Road and the south side of Slocumb Street between Westbrook Road and Wisteria Road.
A.B. Daughety hopes to open up an Internet cafe/sweepstakes facility within the New Hope Plaza Shopping center, while David Simmons plans to use his land on South Slocumb Street for a privately owned cemetery.
A rezoning request for the southeast corner of the intersection of Wayne Memorial Drive and Tommy's Road will seek to change the land parcel's zoning code from office and institutional to general business. A formal protest has been filed by property owners near the area, meaning 75 percent of all the members of the City Council must vote affirmatively to approve the change.
The final public hearing concerns the contiguous annexation request of 11.81 acres of Scott Lafevers' property on the south side of Lockhaven Drive.
The consent agenda contains Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission appointments, the setting of a date for a public hearing on the closing of Mulberry Street at its intersection with the railroad near Saint Mark's Church and a budget ordinance for $8,000 allowing the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. to hire artists to produce renderings of downtown properties in an effort to promote downtown's facade grant.
Monthly departmental reports will also appear on the consent agenda, while the conditional use permit for Donald Smith to create a recreational vehicle park on the east side of Bryan Boulevard will be the council's sole item requiring individual action.
Mayor Pro Tempore Chuck Allen voiced concern about the park due to a septic tank being placed in the ground so close to a river.