On Aug. 13, back in 2003
This is the second in what is hoped is a regular feature about Wake Forest in 2003 when the Wake Forest Gazette began publication.
*At least get the cost, town commissioners tell Mark Williams
By 2003 Wake Forest was aware the City of Raleigh would no longer sell it water under the old arrangement. In fact, Raleigh was in the first stages of creating a small regional water and sewer authority in which the city took over the water and sewer infrastructure in Wake Forest, Rolesville, Wendell, Knightdale and Zebulon and required the towns to pay for the upgrades the city mandated. After those upgrades were paid for, the good news for the towns was lower water and sewer rates.
In Wake Forest, the town board was squirming and twisting, trying all alternatives. They could not increase the size of the town reservoir on Smith Creek, so they were looking at every other body of water. Could the town somehow take over the old Burlington Mills agreement to take water from the Neuse River? Or could it get water from Kerr Lake?
As reported in the Gazette on Aug. 13, 2003, “At least get the cost of purchasing water from Kerr Lake, the Wake Forest Town Board told Manager Mark Williams last week at the close of its work session.
Williams has had one meeting with officials from Henderson and other Franklin, Vance and Granville county officials about obtaining water from the town from Kerr Lake.
Although Kerr water is an option for Wake Forest, Williams said he would “definitely recommend the Neuse (River) option because you don’t have the question of an interbasin transfer.” Obtaining permission to transfer water from the Roanoke River basin across the Tar River basin and into the Neuse River basin could take many years.
“You would have to have faith that we could resolve that interbasin transfer question positively.” It took years of court battles before Virginia Beach, Va., was permitted to withdraw water from Gaston Lake.
Further, Williams said, “Henderson doesn’t want to be connected with Raleigh – at all.”
Another consideration is cost, Williams and Deputy Manager Roe O’Donnell said. Once Franklin County begins to take the maximum it can from Henderson/Kerr Lake, “the pipes along U.S. 1 would be full,” Williams said, and Wake Forest would have to build another line from Henderson south. “It could be as much or more as the Neuse River alternative.”
Also, O’Donnell said, the town would have to buy capacity at the Henderson water treatment plant.
“I think we need to see the costs of this option,” Commissioner David Camacho said, the rest of the board nodded or murmured agreement and Williams and O’Donnell would work up some estimates.
The other two options for additional water are to allow Raleigh to take control of the water and sewer systems or to remain independent and draw up to 6 million gallons a day from the Neuse River using the old Burlington Mills intake. Estimates for the Neuse River option are now at $20 million.
There is a fourth option, Williams said – to sell the system to a private corporation. Williams said he has been approached about this.
“It’s not been done yet in North Carolina, but it has been done in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“I really didn’t think it was something we wanted to look at,” Williams said, saying his concerns would be the quality of the water and wastewater, losing control of the system and the only recourse for customer complaints would be to the state Utility Commission.
And, Williams said, “How does selling our system solve our water capacity problem. They had no answer for that.”
Meanwhile, Williams said, “we are researching any and all possibilities.”
*The historic district no one sees
The heart of old Wake Forest – from Oak Avenue on the north to Holding Avenue on the south; from west of Wingate Street to White Street – would become a new historic district if the town’s plans become reality.
Over 200 properties – homes, businesses and seminary buildings – are proposed to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A meeting about this sweeping plan will be held Monday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m. in town hall and all area residents are urged to attend.
Planner Agnes Wanman said the major concern about a National Register district usually involves the difference between it and a locally designated historic district. In Wake Forest’s local historic district along North Main Street, North Avenue and South Avenue, owners must have permission from the Historic Preservation Commission before doing any exterior work that is visible from the street.
In a National Register district, Wanman said, there are no restrictions on your use or treatment of your property aside from normal zoning and building permits.
The locally designated Wake Forest Historic District is included in the proposed new district.
The town’s two other historic districts are National Register districts and are the Glen Royall Mill Village and the Downtown Wake Forest districts.
The town hired Ruth Little of Longleaf Historic Resources to survey the area and prepare the nomination. Wanman then made copies of the draft available to several people in town.
“Jean McCamy and the information her contacts provided were very helpful,” Wanman said. “Not so many people are knowledgeable about the part of town south of the seminary campus. Melanie Murphy also had quite a few comments, especially related to the schools. It’s unfortunate that we’ve already lost one of the buildings that Ruth marked as contributing, the old home ec building on the elementary school site. It was torn down this spring.”
Little will be at the meeting, presenting the proposed district, and Ann Swallow, the National Register contact with the State Historic Preservation Office, will discuss the National Register and answer any questions about the process of being listed.
The cost of the survey and proposal was $13,661, and Wanman said the town received a $8,500 grant from the state Historic Preservation Office to cover more than half of it.
*Seven Wake Forest police officers promoted, including Leonard
Tomorrow, Aug. 14, Wake Forest Police Chief Greg Harrington will promote seven officers, giving the department four additional lieutenants to supervise the personnel added in this year’s budget.
In the patrol division, Sgt. Trent Coleman, Sgt. Brian Mote and Officer Matthew May will become lieutenants while Officer Mike Maron and Officer Jeremy Morris will be promoted to sergeant.
Lt. Darrin Abbacchi will be transferred to the patrol division from investigations.
Sgt. Jeff Leonard will be promoted to lieutenant and will head up the investigative division. Also in the investigative division, Det. Bonnie Heart will be promoted to sergeant.
In June, the town commissioners approved a budget which included five new positions in the police department as well as their equipment – four patrol officers and one detective. Last year, Harrington requested four patrol officers and Town Manager Mark Williams reluctantly cut that request because of the financial crunch caused by the state withholding sales tax and franchise funds.
“I have been trying for several years to get the lieutenants’ positions but was just now allowed to do so,” Harrington said. “With the addition of the four patrol positions, we needed the extra layer of supervision. The officer going to investigations is simply to help with the additional caseload.”
Harrington said the people filling the five new positions will begin work on Oct. 1 “if I can find five by that time.”
The department has an authorized strength now of 33 fulltime officers, a number which will rise to 38 on Oct. 1.
The investigative division headed by Leonard and Heart has seven positions, including School Resource Officer Cindy Terry and DARE Officer Richard Brown.
The patrol division now has 24 officers, a number that will grow to 28 in October. Harrington said that with the new officers this fall there will be seven officers on each shift around the clock: one lieutenant, one sergeant and five patrol officers.
Along with Harrington, the department is headed by Major Greg Dixon.
The lieutenants will soon be working from the new substation at The DuBois Center. The former ag/shop building has been completely renovated, mostly with Community Development funds from Wake County. One wing of the building on the National Register of Historic Places is devoted to the substation. There is a meeting room in the central part and a computer lab in the other wing.
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