Council approves fitness center, 5-2
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on June 27, 2017 7:04 AM
The Goldsboro City Council was divided in its 5-2 vote Monday to hire Daniels and Daniels Construction Co. to build a 2,500-square-foot addition to the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base fitness center.
The $641,542 contract was part of the council's consent agenda, which included several items and was approved by a single vote.
Mayor Pro Tem Bevan Foster and Councilman Antonio Williams voted against the agenda, with Foster saying his vote was due to the fitness center contract.
He wanted to vote on the contract separately, instead of with seven other council business items. Foster also wanted to have more time to review details within the contract, he said.
"We should have pulled it and voted against it separately," Foster said, after the meeting. "I just think we needed to pull it and look at it a little more closely."
Foster said he wasn't as concerned about the cost as he was about the details of the contract.
Also after the meeting, Councilman Bill Broadaway said the project has been in the works for several years.
Voting for the contract were Broadaway, Mayor Chuck Allen and Councilmen Mark Stevens, David Ham and Gene Aycock.
The city contract involves the construction of a 2,500-square-foot addition to the base fitness center, as part of the city's lease agreement with the U.S. Air Force that allows the city's addition of a multisport complex on 62 acres alongside the military installation.
The 2016 lease also includes a city commitment to have the fitness center open by March 2018. The city plans to use hotel occupancy tax revenues to pay for the work, and has already set aside $600,000 for the project.
Because the contract is $41,452 more than originally planned, base officials have agreed to reimburse the city the amount to make up the difference.
The city council was also divided in its decision to provide $26,110 in economic development incentives to Stormberg Foods, a South African-based company, which plans to add 60 jobs and invest $2.48 million in facility upgrades to the former Sunburst Foods, on Sunburst Lane. The company produces meat protein snacks.
The council voted 5-2 in favor of the economic development grant, which is tied to job creation and local investments. Foster and Williams voted against the grant. Allen, Broadaway, Stevens, Ham and Aycock voted in favor of the grant.
The company will receive a $5,222 grant per year for five years and is expected to increase the property tax value of the facility, leading to $8,000 in additional tax revenue.
The council's vote in favor of its consent agenda included approvals for:
* A $27,989 contract with Barnhill Contracting Co. to repave the Union Station parking lot.
* An agreement with the state Department of Transportation to add a 10-foot-wide greenway path from Royall Avenue to Quail Park, with $187,500 in federal funding.
* Nearly $700,000 in budget amendments for city expenses related to Hurricane Matthew debris cleanup, equipment and overtime pay.
Kaye Scott, Goldsboro finance director, told the council during its 5 p.m. work session that the city is set to receive $1.7 million in reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for costs related to hurricane recovery efforts.