Without comment, the Wake Forest Commissioners agreed to accept a grant Tuesday night that is essential to the town’s plan to remove an old dam on the Ailey Young Park property.
This grant from the state Department of Environmental Quality’s 319 Program for $265,455 is 61 percent of the estimated construction costs to remove the dam, fully restore the unnamed stream, add natural plantings and educational signs for environmental education in the future. The town already has a North Carolina Department of Justice grant of $193,650 for the design of the project and is applying for and anticipating approval of a $173,000 grant from the state DEQ’s Water Resources Development office. That will complete the funding needed, $693,105.
The request Tuesday noted: “Staff anticipates zero dollars from Town of Wake Forest general funding for this project, minus staff in-kind time.” The project is called the Ailey Young Park Dam Removal, Stream Restoration and Overbank Wetland project.
The dam had held back an old farm pond but it had been breached and was unusable and unsafe.
A large part of the Tuesday evening was spent in voting for and then having Town Clerk Deeda Harris and attorney Eric Vernon tallied the numbers. That left the mayor and commissioners talking about other matters without tackling the few other items on the agenda because Harris is the board secretary.
In the voting, the board appointed its former assistant planning director, Chad Sary, to the planning board. Sary, a town resident, resigned from his town position more than a year ago to work for a residential developer. The commissioners also appointed Joseph Kimray and Karin Kuropas to the planning board and reappointed Thad Juszczak.
For the board of adjustment, four in-town and two ETJ members were needed, and one ETJ member is still needed. The board appointed Bill Fisher, William Hedrick, Julie Kruse, Rick Porter and Jonathan Thomas.
Those appointed to the design review board were Jim Sherrer and Nicholas Kentopp. Appointed to the historic preservation commission were Lisa Roberson, Beverly Whisnant and Jennifer Douglas. On the human relations council are K. Michael Janas, Dorothelia Shipman, Robin Smith and Donna Doughty. The public art commission members reappointed are John Pelosi, Jim Wallace and Julie Young. Only Lisa Byers was appointed to the cemetery board; more members are needed.
Dianne Laws, Mary Petretich and Stanley Jones Sr. were named to the cultural resources board. Chris Ray and Ron Rosenberg were named to the greenways committee, and one more member is needed. For the recreation board, Jeremy Farnham, Adrian Schaller and Tommy Boyette were named. Rose Marie Betuker, Jetske Insinger and Michael Langer were named to the senior board. Brian Clemson, Tom Hyslip and Jeffrey Peck were named to the technology board. There were no appointments to the urban forestry board because there was not a quorum at the November meeting when the board was to select its choices.
