Councilwoman has lengthy list of concerns

W. TERRY SMITH

Tarboro Councilwoman Candis Owens is expected to present a list of 19 concerns to Town Council during its meeting Monday night.

Some of those concerns are:

• "The Blount Bridgers House is beyond desperation for attention."

The town and Edgecombe County each contribute $35,000 annually to the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council, which operates out of the Blount-Bridgers House that is owned and maintained by the town.

Owens cites the problems with heating and cooling the building built in 1908.

"I was responsible for a meeting there on Jan. 21, and ... It was so cold that no one took off their coats and when we left, after one hour, my feet were so cold I could hardly feel my toes.

"Their working conditions are extremely cramped," she continues, "and they use old and mostly recycled (used) equipment. I don’t remember them receiving any new equipment unless a citizen provided it for them.

"I know of no one on the town and county staff who works under such conditions and the Blount-Bridgers staff should not have to, either.

"The Blount Bridgers House/Arts Council offers more per hour/dollar for visitors coming into our town than any other agency I know of," Owens states. "They are very much overworked, understaffed and underpaid. "

She said there is no room for a new Title 5 senior citizen employee's desk.

Her five-page memo continues:

• "A tree replacement/planting program needs to be implemented where old trees are removed, or sickly ones are in need of replacement, such as in front of Sara Jenkins Valentine’s law office, Rusty’s, the Historic District, and especially major roads and streets leading to and from town. Some of the trees on the U.S. 64 ALT overpass near Stack's are sickly and in need of replacement.

• "How is the town supporting the local businesses that we have? Off-premise signs will help advertise our local businesses.

• "The trash around the bins in the public parking lot behind Jin Jin’s and Roberson Dupree Shoe Store is really bad and has been bad for a long time."

• Owens pointed out Bruce Goodenough’s scaffolding at 1103 Saint Patrick St. has been up for years.

• "Our citizens are concerned about the general condition of the Historic District," she said. "Abandoned vehicles, vehicles parked in houses’ right-of-way area and trash piled up in yards are just some of the all-too-common sights on a walk through the Historic District."

• "South Howard Circle wants desperately to slow the traffic ... Stop signs are appropriate and cost efficient."

• "The town also needs to revisit slowing the traffic along the 800 block of St. Andrew Street ... I propose stop signs at St. Andrew and Park Avenue."

• "That particular area is also dark ... . It is much too dark.:"

(Full disclosure: Owens lives on Park Avenue. This reporter lives on Saint Andrew Street.)

• "The stop signs put up on Sunset and Linden streets have slowed the traffic in that area – and that was the intention. At least one of the signs was put on an old, rusty pole. Many such signs around town are on old rusty poles that look so bad. These sign poles need attention and old metal poles certainly need to be refurbished before being recycled."

• The Farmers Market that is operated by the county Extension Service.

" The Farmers Market isn’t all of the county's responsibility," according to Owens' memo. "The building where the present Farmers Market is was given to the town in 1953 in memory of Lossie Grist Clark by her son and grandson. According to an old timer the building was to be used for the Farmers Market as long as it was needed for such."

Owens thinks a grants writer "might be able to apply for funds to support our Farmers Market and to build it into one that we can be proud of, one that will offer more jobs through three seasons, one that would improve the tax base, and one that would interest citizens and visitors in our town.

"Farmers are being encouraged to grow crops to sell and citizens are being urged to support the markets all across the state and nation. It is in the town’s interest to promote better health and less obesity of our citizens."

• "I hope we can get to work on rescheduling downtown events such as the 2nd Saturdays and the Cantaloupe Festival. Both events appealed to a lot of people and helped the downtown businesses. We must do all that we can to promote our struggling downtown businesses."

Of course, 2nd Saturday was the brainchild of Betty NeSmith who gave it up after a lack of support from other downtown merchants.

The Cantaloupe Festival, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, raised about $13,500 in its two years. It was discontinued by the last president who said it required too much work.

The town has indicated a desire to partner with the Tarboro Area Saltwater Sportsmen (TASS) who sponsor the annual Rockfish Tournament in the spring.

• The care and control of animals in town. “The town could profit from proactive spaying/neutering of animals.

“There is funding set aside by the N.C. Legislature that provides free spaying/neutering for those on public assistance, but Edgecombe County officials must apply for the funding, and must contribute some funds, as well.”

• Finally, Owens states: "Many of my constituents have commented that they are intimated by our town manager sitting with the town council facing the citizens. I agree. I would like to propose that, after many years, the town manager and town attorney be repositioned so that they sit facing the Town Council to whom they are responsible to."

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