It may not be a first but it still is unusual. Tuesday night Republic Services, which has the contract for garbage and recycling collection, asked the town commissioners to approve a reduction in their rates of 0.1 percent.
The new rates will be $11.01 for each household for garbage – down from $11.02 – and $3.51 per household with no change. The commissioners quickly approved the change. Homeowners do not pay the collection charges directly; they are included in the town’s property tax rate of 41 cents for town operations and 11 cents for the contract with the Wake Forest Fire Department.
During the rather short business meeting, the first for new Town Manager Kip Padgett, who was honored with a reception before the meeting, Commissioner Margaret Stinnett apologized to Deputy Town Manager “for the way I spoke to him at the work session;” the board appointed Thad Juszczak to the planning board to fill Shirley Sulick’s unfinished term; appointed seven new members to the Youth in Government Advisory Board; heard about this year’s budget for the Public Art Commission; approved annexation petitions for the 99-unit development on the N.C. 98 bypass called Siena Drive Townhouses and a new section of the Traditions subdivision; and agreed Assistant Town Engineer Holly Miller could pursue a number of grants to remove the dam a restore the small stream in the Ailey Young Park.
Juszczak has been a fixture at planning board and town board meetings for some time and was one of the three applicants for the planning board position – the others were Rodger Springer and Michael Langer – who attended the recent Planning Board Academy. Other applicants were Ben Clapsaddle, Al Hinton, Julie Kruse and Roger Cramer.
The new Youth board members and their schools next year are Julie Baker, Wake Forest High; Caleb Faneuf, Wake Forest High; Reagan Fry, Franklin Academy; Cod Holtman, Franklin Academy; Meredith Leonard, Thales Academy; Jordon Parrott, Southeast Raleigh High; and Ryan Wimmer, no school listed.
The Public Art Commission was established in 2010, and the ordinance included funding for the art the commission will place in town at 1 percent of the projected capital costs of projects listed in the town’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Thus far the commission has received $37,050 in FY 2011-2012 from the South White Street Improvements and the renovations at the Alston-Massenburg Center; $450 in memory of Frank Smith; $4,500 in FY 2012-2013 for the police station renovations; $2,650 in FY 2013-2014 for the Holding Park Pool and restroom renovations; and will have $1,520 in this fiscal year for the renovations at the public facilities building at 317 Brooks Street. The commission spent $43,562.78 during 2012-2013 for travel, honorariums for design, consulting, and payment for the art for the two sculptures with seating along South White Street.
In the next few years, though, the projects in the 2014 bond issues for parks, greenways and streets should give the commission $251,000. “You have some money to work with, John,” Mayor Vivian Jones told commission chairman John Pelosi. “Eventually,” he said.
The Siena Drive townhouse project is of interest because the town board twice rejected plans for it but then, in December of last year, declined to appeal a ruling by Wake Superior Judge Paul Ridgeway that reversed the board’s August vote to deny a special use permit. Nearby residents had vigorously protested both plans submitted by the Ninety Eight Bypass Associates.
Miller was asking for permission to pursue a grant from the Duke Energy Water Resources Fund for $100,000 to remove the dam on the unidentified stream and restore the stream. She said the earthen dam is breached with resulting problems. She will also as for matching funds of $210,000 through the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and $75,000 for a grant to allow fish passage. The town will have no cash match, only inkind services of time by staff.
