City to discuss Herman Park Center
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on February 4, 2017 11:50 PM
The Goldsboro City Council will consider selecting design plans for a new Herman Park Recreation Center and review several financing agreements during its meeting Monday.
The council will meet at 5 p.m. for a work session in the City Hall annex conference room at 200 N. Center St., and at 7 p.m. for its regular meeting in City Hall at 214 N. Center St.
Design plans for a new 62,000-square-foot Herman Park Center on Ash Street will be considered for approval by the council, which held off on a decision in January until the plans could be more carefully reviewed.
Councilman Gene Aycock asked for additional time and the ability to ask questions about the proposal, which could cost the city close to $10 million.
The center is proposed to include a 20,000-square-foot gymnasium, with a second-floor walking track, a 9,000-square-foot gymnasium and rooms for multi-purpose uses, fitness and different age groups, including adults and youth. Locker rooms and outdoor recreation areas also being considered, including areas for basketball, racquetball courts, cornhole and shuffleboard and a climbing wall for children.
The design plans were created by HH Architecture, which is developing the future Maxwell Regional Agricultural and Convention Center. The architectural firm is tasked with providing the council with final project cost estimates. The council has not voted to build a new recreation center, but a decision is anticipated sometime this year.
Also during the meeting, the council will seek state approval, through the N.C. Local Government Commission, to enter into a $3 million, 15-year loan agreement with Wayne County for construction of a new multisport complex on Oak Forest Road.
The city is also seeking LGC approval to finance the purchase of $2.1 million for city vehicles, which are part of the city's current budget, and the future purchase of water meters for $5.3 million. The city plans to pay for the items through installment financing, as opposed to bond financing, and no tax increases are planned, according to the city's application.
In early 2016, the council discussed replacing the city's 15,000 water meters after the meters, which became automated in 2007, failed to operate properly. City workers currently read the meters manually.
New automatic meters will report readings instantly to city offices, improve reading accuracy and allow for easier disconnections.
The council also plans to consider several wastewater pump station repair contracts for stations damaged during Hurricane Matthew.
The work will be paid for by insurance reimbursements and the repairs are eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement, said Kaye Scott, Goldsboro finance director.
The contracts include Pearson Pump, $93,150, for repairs at the Westbrook station, Nationwide Electrical Services, $112,800, for repairs to the 117 station, and the T.A. Loving Co., $227,000 for repairs at the Big Cherry station and $141,000 for work at the Little Cherry station.
The city has also received a $150,000 award from the N.C. Housing Finance Agency to provide up to $40,000 per home as part of the HFA's Essential Single-Family Rehabilitation Loan Pool program to help homeowners with hurricane disaster recovery.
The program will be operated out of the city's Community Relations Department and is available to eligible low and moderate income homeowners who are elderly or have special needs.
In other business, the council will consider:
* Spending $9,500 for advertising services to promote the 2017 Wings Over Wayne Air Show, along with Wayne County support of $9,500. Advertising services will be paid for through the city's unassigned fund balance, Scott said.
* Paying $25,000 to move two no-cost modular units from Wayne UNC Health Care, unassigned fund balance will also be used. One modular unit will be added to the public works department and the other will be located at Goldsboro Fire Station 4.
* A conditional-use permit for an internet sweepstakes business at the Southeast Plaza Center, on N.C. 111 South. The business plans to operate Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Thirty gaming machines are planned inside the 3,600-square-foot building that will occupy two tenant spaces.
* Conditional-use permit on the southwest corner of U.S. 117 South and Neuse Circle for the operation of a used car lot.
* A Brookwood preliminary subdivision plan that divides one property into four lots along Hillcrest Place.
* A site landscape plan for a 4-acre site on Gateway Drive where an expanded parking lot is planned for the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealership.
* A parking lot expansion for Mission Foods, at 401 Gateway Drive.
*Appointments to city boards and commissions.