The town’s greenways were the major topic in different ways during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Wake Forest Town Board.
It began early, with Kimley Horn’s engineer, Brandon White, describing the schematic designs the firm has developed for an overall plan for signs in the town’s parks and along its greenways. Currently the parks have a mishmash of different styles, colors and shapes for the signs, “not very attractive,” White said, and there is little or not signage along the greenways.
A large committee that included members of three advisory boards – greenways, recreation and public art – and town staff from the planning and parks, recreation and cultural resources departments worked with the Kimley Horn staff to shape the plan. Although the proposed signs would come in a variety of shapes and sizes, White said the goal was “to reinforce the brand of the town” using the same colors (green and orange) and materials (natural stone as the base for many signs) throughout. Contemporary symbols and logos will be used in place of words in most instances
The commissioners had questions about maintenance (“fairly maintenance free”) and how to place the mile and quarter-mile signs along greenways that are only partly built. The plan only describes how the signs will be built; where and how to pay for the signs will be determined later. Town Manager Mark Williams and Mayor Vivian Jones said the plan will be phased in for the existing parks and greenways. For new greenways the signs and their cost will be part of the budget.
Senior Planner Candace Williams asked the board to approve the schematic plan so it can be finalized and the costs can be determined. The motion “to approve what Candace said” was unanimously approved.
Next came the annual reports from two advisory boards, greenways and public art. John Pelosi, chairman of the public art commission, said, “We really don’t have any money,” but added he is very optimistic that the voters will approve the three bond referendums. The commission gets its funding from the 1 percent of the approved contract or budget for the town’s capital projects like those on the referendums.
While it waits for funding, the commission has been discussing where to place public art and agreed that it should be where there is more travel – at town entrances and along greenways – and to mark important places. The three future locations for public art now are the band shelter in Joyner Park, the connection at the pedestrian bridge where Wake Forest’s Smith Creek Greenway meets the Raleigh greenway system and either the traffic circle to be built on Stadium Drive and North Wingate Street or Centennial Plaza in front of town hall, which he called “a barren area that demands that something be placed there. “ He said his personal choice was the traffic circle on Stadium.
Jan Ammons had a long list of items for her six-page report about the greenways board with her comments about all the goals and developments in red.
She thanked the commissioners for making the greenways bond issue a separate question, and thanked the town staff for the new greenways map. “The staff has done a fabulous job of making a user-friendly map of the greenway system.”
Although there are a lot of items in her report – goals, activities during the year, plans, communications, trail construction, and pending 2015 goals – Ammons said everything the advisory board does goes back to the town’s greenways and open space plan, first developed in 2002 and updated in 2008. It has been six years since the update and they will need to start looking at another update soon.
One goal will be “advocating for a maintenance budget that would be appropriate for our greenways.” Another goal is for safety patrols on the greenways made up of volunteers. She said they are studying the models of such patrols in other towns and cities to determine how best to model Wake Forest’s.
The other advisory boards submitted written annual reports but did not send a speaker. The senior center board report began: “This report is to convey to the Mayor of Wake Forest and to the Town Commissioners the growth and and need for expansion to the Wake Forest Senior Center.” It went on to describe in detail the facility needs, ranging from a buffered surface on the exercise floor, auto-flush and higher toilets, a ramp in the parking lot and new computers, among other items.
“We appreciate so very much the advisory boards’ work,” Mayor Jones said. “You spend so much time and effort. It means a great deal to the town to having you doing all this work.”
It was not mentioned in the meeting but in the town manager’s monthly report to the commissioners, the planning department reported the town will receive a $19,500 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission to purchase six patrol bicycles and an all-terrain vehicle to aid the Wake Forest Police Department in patrolling parks and greenways.
After the reports, the board held public hearings about three requested annexations which were unanimously approved. There were no speakers for or against to annex the 29.52 acres on Rogers Road requested by Iris Stoutt for the proposed The Courtyards at Heritage subdivision; the 1.98 acres on Wait Avenue requested by Gould Property Group for an addition to Bowling Green subdivision; and 96.79 acres requested by WR HV and ALF Holding Village for the first phase of Holding Village along South Franklin Street.
When it came to rezoning The Courtyards at Heritage, Commissioner Zachary Donahue asked if the other commissioners would consider changing the plan to connect only one street between the future subdivision and the abutting Heritage subdivision.
“I personally think connectivity is something that needs to be done” and the board should follow the UDO (Uniform Development Ordinance), Commissioner Margaret Stinnett said, and Commissioner Anne Reeves said there would be less traffic in the age-restricted subdivision (55 and older). “If you buy a house on a stub-out you’ve got to know it’s going to go some place some day.”
Both that and the rezoning for the Wake Forest Baptist Church’s future education and fellowship building passed unanimously.
Donahue also asked about a change for closing Barnford Mill Road on Saturday, Nov. 1, for a meet your neighbors cookout in The Meadows subdivision, asking if it could be moved to a side street or a cul-de-sac. “The playground is there (on Barnford). It would be much nicer for them for their cookout. We’re only talking about three and a half hours,” Jones said. She added that the police department had approved the plan. Donahue voted against the motion to approve the request.
Planning Director Chip Russell said the town will pay the additional cost, estimated at $66,900, for the additions the town had requested when the state Department of Transportation replaces the bridge on Forestville Road over Sanford Creek. Those include a turn lane, a 10-foot concrete greenway path and a 6-foot sidewalk with curb and gutter from the bridge to Song Sparrow Drive. “We’ll get some help. The subdivision will reimburse us” for part of the cost, he said. The bridge replacement will be done from April to August next year.
The board quickly approved an agreement with DOT to receive a $110,000 grant to help with the extension of Grandmark Avenue to connect Capcom Avenue with Rogers Road.
Williams told the three press people at the meeting that there would be no action except to adjourn after a closed hearing about the condemnation of a greenway easement on Sanford Creek near Forestville Road.
One agenda item, the authorization of a sale of surplus property at 423 Sixth Street to Kirk L. Golder was withdrawn because the paperwork was not complete.
