Two mysterious votes

Twice recently the Wake Forest commissioners and mayor, the town manager and the town attorney have held closed sessions “To establish, or to instruct the public body’s staff or negotiating agents concerning the position to be taken by or on behalf of the public body in negotiating (i) the price and other material terms of a contract or proposed contract for the acquisition of real property by purchase, option, exchange, or lease; or (ii) the amount of compensation and other material terms of an employment contract or proposed employment contract.” The quote is from N.C.G.S. 143-318.11 (a) (5).

Tuesday night the board came out of the very short closed session and unanimously agreed to two motions, both of which were to approve what they had agreed on in the closed session with no other information.

We will, at some point, learn what those decisions are. But it does seem the town board wants to buy some land and hire someone with a connection to that purchase. One of the town’s goals has been to acquire land suitable for an industrial or business park. Whether Tuesday’s actions are related to that goal remains a mystery.

During their work session, the commissioners and mayor spent an hour going through the update to the Capital Improvement Plan with Assistant Finance Director Antwan Morrison, and one focus was the Smith Creek Soccer Center.

Mayor Vivian Jones said people had been contacting her about drainage issues there – “Those kind of things need to be taken care of.” – and Commissioner Anne Reeve asked about the planned restrooms, “I thought it was something we had already looked at.” Both issues are addressed in the broader improvements needed and planned for the center with constructing the restrooms phase one.

Assistant Town Engineer Holly Miller said the restrooms had been pushed aside by other more pressing problems such as upgrading the parking lot. “The parking lot is falling apart,” she said. The plan is to build the restrooms, reconfigure and pave the parking lot, upgrade the playground to meet federal ADA standards, add a greenway loop on the other side of the fields, and add large trees and landscaping. None of that has been done and there is no funding by the town.

Commissioner Brigit Wall-Lennon came down firmly on building the restrooms before the playground.

Commissioner Brian Pate asked if “maybe some time we can ask CASL to upgrade the playground.” Capital Area Soccer League schedules fall and spring games at the center. Morrison said he has had many discussions with CASL about helping to fund or funding the restrooms. “It looks bad on them and us to have the [portable toilets] out there.”

“When other people are using it (the soccer center) to the extent they are, they need to help,” Pate said.

Mayor Vivian Jones wanted to know if there is money in the CIP for other traffic signals besides the $40,000 for the signals at Heritage Club Avenue and Heritage Lake Road. Director of Engineering Eric Keravuori said the state Department of Transportation is now designing the signals there. The town and one of the homeowners’ associations in Heritage are paying for the signal.

Other intersections which need signals include Heritage Lake Road at Friendship Chapel Road, Forestville Road at Coach Lantern Avenue, Middlegame Way at Wait Avenue and Rock Springs Road at Stadium Drive.