LUMBERTON — The City Council approved a master plan Wednesday for the proposed pocket park to be built in downtown Lumberton.
Approval of the master plan by Council was required before Main Street Lumberton, the board overseeing the ongoing revitalization efforts in downtown Lumberton, can move forward in the next phase of the design process and open the bidding process.
The property, located in an alley way on the 300 block North Elm Street, just steps away from the Carolina Civic Center and the Lumberton Downtown Plaza, was previously donated to the city by Dick and Lenore Taylor.
The proposed design of the pocket park, which will be between murals on the sides of adjacent buildings on either side, includes two sidewalks spanning the length of the park, multiple seating areas and benches, several trees and bushes throughout, and an open area in the center.
“In the center space we’ve left that open as an opportunity to come in with a tent, possibly, to do small group (activities), and really serve as an adjacent property as we go forward with the Carolina Civic Center annex addition,” said Dencie Lambdin, the Main Street Lumberton board chair. “There might be activities that we want to do using the annex and the pocket park together for an event. We’ve purposely left that space open so there’s flexibility in how we can use the park.”
The primary walkway was increased from eight feet wide in the original plan to 12 feet wide in this master plan, according to Sarah Beth Ward, who spoke on behalf of Main Street Lumberton.
The city previously included pocket park beautification as a line item in its budget for the current fiscal year.
In other news, Council approved for a downtown building owned by the city at 301 North Water Street to be leased to the Lumber River United Way at $1 per year for the next 15 years. As part of the agreement the city will contribute $50,000 towards the cost of renovating the building.
Council had previously weighed multiple options, including selling the building to United Way for $1 or a long-term lease. With a 15-year lease, the city maintains ownership of the building and could take it back in the event United Way no longer occupies it.
“Staff feels like this is a reasonable compromise that satisfies both parties,” Deputy City Manager Brandon Love said. “It keeps the ownership with the City of Lumberton but gives the United Way some capital money for the renovations and also guarantees them at least 15 years at that location.”
Council also heard an update on recent and ongoing projects with the Lumberton Housing Authority from Adrian Lowery, LHA’s executive director. The Authority received a $239,000 Safety and Security Grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in October to fund the complete installation of security cameras at all of LHA’s sites, Lowery said.
“This has been very good for us,” Lowery said. “Any activity, we can record and we can instantly share that with the police department, so this has been a really good investment by the housing authority and we’re very proud of the fact that now all of our sites are going to be covered by cameras.”
Renovation has begun at LHA’s administration building on Martin Luther King Drive and is expected to be completed around August or September of this year, Lowery said. A 72-unit development on Highway 72 is currently in the design and development phase, with that work being done by The Wooten Company.
In other news, Council approved a special use permit by RWDT Foods, Inc. for the purpose of building and operating a Checkers restaurant on Fayetteville Road near Domino’s Pizza.
The applicant was Donnell Thompson, a Lumberton native who played 10 years in the NFL and is now a restaurant franchisee.
Thompson answered questions about the restaurant’s hours; proposed hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday, which Thompson stated is comparable to other fast-food restaurants including McDonald’s and Cook Out, giving individuals who are out late, such as second-shift workers, an additional dining option. He also answered a question regarding alcohol sales, saying that none of Checkers’ 1,000 locations nationwide sell alcoholic beverages.
In other business, Council:
— Approved to change the language in the city’s Dangerous Dog Ordinance; under the updated ordinance, landlords may be held responsible for violations when they facilitate violations by ignoring violations by their tenants.
— Approved for the purchase of a Yanmar excavator and trailer. The city’s current excavator was purchased in 2006; the city has been leasing the unit since June, with rental fees to help with the purchase price. Accounting for those, along with the trade-in value of the existing excavator, the purchase price from Vermeer will be $36,250.50; this is well within the $65,000 amount set aside for the purchase in the 2021-22 city budget.
— Awarded a construction contract to AC Schultes of Carolina, Inc. for the Raw Water Intake Flood Mitigation Project at a cost of $701,623. Most of the project is funded by a North Carolina Golden LEAF Foundation Grant, but approximately $265,000 is needed to bridge a funding shortage; Council approved Public Works’ proposal to take that money from the Water and Sewer Capital Reserve Fund.
— Approved an amendment to the professional services agreement with the Wooten Company for the Rosewood Mobile Home Park sewer rehabilitation. The amendment involves a six-month time extension and no additional cost to the city.
— Approved for $8,000 to be sent to the town of Mayfield, Kentucky to aid in the aftermath of a deadly tornado on Dec. 10, 2021. Mayfield was among the towns hit hardest by an EF4 tornado in Western Kentucky. The city pledged $5,000, the remaining $3,000 came from Community Revitalization Funds allocated by each member of Council present.
— Approved the following allocation of CRF funds: $1,000 for a Martin Luther King Day celebration by the Robeson County Black Caucus; $850 for COVID-19 mitigation efforts at First Baptist Church on West Second Street, $600 for COVID-19 mitigation efforts at McCormick Chapel AME Church and $600 for COVID-19 mitigation efforts at Sandy Grove Baptist Church. A request for $500 in CRF funds for COVID-19 mitigation efforts in South Lumberton was withdrawn by Councilman John Cantey after discussion.
