Lenoir Council plans Veterans Memorial improvements

During Tuesday's Lenoir Committee of the Whole meeting at City Hall, City Manager Lane Bailey detailed plans to improve the site of the Veterans Memorial located in downtown at the intersection of Main Street and West Avenue.

The obelisk memorial commemorates the fallen soldiers who have served the United States in combat. The project seeks to enhance the area by expanding the site and improving sidewalks that surround the monument.

In addition, five granite blocks will be placed around part of the memorial to recognize the branches of the military - U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. The U.S., North Carolina and Lenoir flags will sit in front of the monument, according to the design produced by engineering firm McGill and Associates.

To pay for the estimated $67,700 project, Bailey said the city has started selling brick pavers to place in the octagonal area that will surround the monument. The pavers can be ordered by residents and businesses to honor anyone who has served in the military and received an honorable discharge. The pavers will be engraved with the service member's name, military branch, status, date of service and any region or war that the individual may have participated in.

Bailey said the pavers can recognize anyone, regardless of where they are from or when they served.

“We think this is a way to honor and recognize these individuals for what they have done for their country,” Bailey said. “And we believe this project will further our efforts to make downtown Lenoir an attractive place to visit.”

Order forms are available at City Hall. Pavers can be purchased for $100, though larger donations are being accepted. Individuals or businesses contributing at the $500, $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 levels will be recognized on a plaque adjacent to the memorial.

The sale of brick pavers was used previously as part of the redesign of the Square in downtown, which sits diagonally across from the Veterans Memorial.

Meanwhile, Lenoir Public Works Director Charles Beck provided an update of the city's recycling efforts at its convenience center, which started with Saturdays last year and expanded to Wednesday operations at the beginning of the 2008.

Total participation has improved from 113 average users on Saturdays last year to an average of 149 users on Wednesdays and Saturdays combined from Jan. 2-April 16. The singled biggest Wednesday occurred April 2 when 153 people came to the recycling center, which is open to Lenoir residents and is located on Pennton Avenue at the former Public Works building.

“We'd like our daily numbers to improve,” Beck said. “I would have thought by now they would have been higher.”

Beck said changing the current 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. hours of operation on Wednesdays could make the site more accessible to commuters heading to or from work. He suggested opening the center earlier or closing it later.

Councilman Merlin Perry noted that he has made recycling drop-offs for himself and neighbors at the same time, which would not be reflected in the individual usage rates.

But Councilman T.J. Rohr said the low participation rate on Wednesday should be considered in formulating the 2008-09 fiscal year budget. The expansion to Wednesdays for half the fiscal year was pegged to cost $2,500.

In other Public Works business, Beck said one lane of West Avenue will be closed, possibly beginning as early as today, for approximately one week to install a new crosswalk.

He added that the Old North Road Bridge project is set to receive bids next month, while the recently closed Broadway Street Bridge will be up for bid in June. Another bridge project along Mulberry Street will begin with right-of-way procurement, Beck said, followed by construction in 2009.

In other business,

€ Finance Director Danny Gilbert said the city's annual budget remains $1.4 million in the black, though he expects the surplus to shrink by the end of the fiscal year June 30.

€ Parks and Recreation Director Rob Winkler reported on the progress of tree cutting at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. He said the trimming should reduce the number of leaves getting into the pool area and should provide for easier tracking of thunderstorms.

€ Planning Director Chuck Beatty outlined a draft Lenoir Development Manual that will be provided to developers. The 76-page publication outlines the procedures and regulations the city follows for new construction and businesses.

€ Beatty added that a stretch of two-lane road that will not be part of the impending Connelly Springs Road construction in the Whitnel community should be renamed Old Connelly Springs Road. The move is designed to limit the effect of changing the addresses for the 95 homes and businesses along the road.

€ Bailey said plans are continuing for the All-America City presentation in Tampa, Fla., June 3-6. Instead of traveling by bus, Bailey said he is looking into passenger train transportation.

Printer Friendly Version

E-mail this story to friend