Goldsboro mayor: Fence is a waste of money
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on December 6, 2017 5:50 AM
Mayor Chuck Allen called the addition of a $31,000 fence to the rear of Union Station expensive and a waste of taxpayers' money.
The council was presented with a contract proposal by Dudley's Fence Co., which would add a 6-foot-high fence to the rear of Union Station on North Carolina Street. The majority of the cost, 80 percent, would be paid by the Federal Highway Administration, 10 percent by the N.C. Department of Transportation and 10 percent by the city of Goldsboro, nearly $3,100. The fence would replace a chain-link fence currently behind the building.
"I'll be honest," Allen said. "I think it's a waste of money."
Councilman Antonio Williams said he has no problem with the project or the city's cost.
"You're still wasting taxpayers' money," Allen said. "It's still an expensive fence."
Julie Metz, Goldsboro's downtown development director, said that the job is half the cost of an earlier proposal the council reviewed in August. At the time, the council declined to act on a $62,000 contract to add a fence at Union Station.
On Monday, the council voted 5-2 to deny the contract, with Allen, Mayor Pro Tem David Ham and Councilmen Bill Broadaway, Mark Stevens and Gene Aycock voting for the denial. Williams and Councilman Bevan Foster voted against the denial.
Also during its meeting, the council approved:
* Site and landscape plans for a 6,661-square-foot addition to the Goldsboro fire and police department complex, located on a near 4-acre property at 204 S. Center St.
* A $71,106 contract with Barnhill Construction to extend the city's greenway project 3,875 feet from the rear of Wayne UNC Health Care to Gloucester Road. The company is under contract to extend the city's greenway trail from New Hope Road to the rear of the hospital.
* Increasing the cost of 30-pound bags of compost, sold at the city's compost facility on North Center Street, from $2 to $4.
* Rezoning 8.8 acres on U.S. 13 North, at Hood Swamp Road, from a residential district to a general business conditional district. A 4,900-square-foot convenience store is planned for construction on the property.
* Conditional-use permits for a tattoo parlors at 1079 N. Berkeley Blvd. and 112-Q S. Berkeley Blvd.