Lisa Pate sworn in as Pikeville's new clerk
By Brandon Davis
Published in News on February 27, 2017 9:57 AM
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News-Argus/BRANDON DAVIS
Lisa Pate sits at her desk in Pikeville's town hall trailer. She was sworn in as town clerk last month, and she attended her first town hall meeting on Feb. 6 in her new role.
PIKEVILLE -- Lisa Pate attended her first town hall meeting as the new town clerk of Pikeville on Feb. 6.
And since being sworn in as town clerk on Jan. 4, Pate has been looking to catapult the town into economic growth.
Born and raised in Pikeville, Pate is a former bookkeeper for the Wayne County public school system for 16 years.
Pate replaces Constance Witherspoon as town clerk.
"It's a challenge, it's different than what I've been doing," Pate said. "But I'm really enjoying it."
She said she would like to see new businesses emerge near the new U.S. 70 Bypass exits in Pikeville, and although the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market left the town in January of 2016, Pate said the new Dollar General -- located where the market was at 303 Goldsboro St. -- is "thriving" after opening last summer.
Pate also said the town plans to build a new town hall at the location of the old Pikeville Elementary School -- behind the current town hall trailer.
The trailer sits at 103 W. School St., across from the old trailer which is available for acquisition due to mold, according to a notice posted on the town's website. The town moved their operations into the new trailer last April, but Pate said the plans to build a new town hall are definite. The time frame, however, is not.
"That's where the plans are," she said. "We just don't know when that's going to happen."
Pate said the recent town hall meeting centered mainly around an Amended and Restated Renewable Energy Development and Service Agreement between the town and the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency.
The town also approved two events -- a Pikeville Community Appreciation Day set for Saturday, April 29, at 6 p.m., and a rabies clinic at the old Pikeville School grounds on Saturday, April 8, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Town Hall meetings are scheduled for the first Monday of each month.