LUMBERTON — The Lumberton City Council delayed approval of a resolution of support Monday for a $15.1 million North Carolina Department of Transportation project to reconfigure Fayetteville Road, the city’s busiest street.
Councilman Leroy Rising, who represents the business and residential area, asked for the project to be removed from the council’s consent agenda, where it was slated for approval without discussion.
Councilman John Cantey seconded the motion, saying he was concerned about the state taking 30 feet of right of way from businesses along Fayetteville Road.
“It will take a row of parking from these businesses,” he said.
The motion passed unanimously with five votes. Councilman John Robinson was absent, and two seats, the ones that were held by the late Leon Maynor and Sheriff-elect Burnis Wilkins, are empty.
A meeting between the City Council, businesses and DOT representatives is set for 10 a.m. Nov.27 in the City Hall community room.
The proposed project is designed to ease traffic congestion and improve safety on Fayetteville Road. The DOT held a public meeting in October to introduce the project to the public.
Among the highlights of the project are 1.3 miles of concrete medians from 22nd to Farringdom streets, a roundabout at Fayetteville Road and Godwin Avenue, closure of Cedar Street before it meets Godwin Avenue and Fayetteville Road, two new stoplights at Boomerang Drive where it meets Fayetteville Road and Roberts Avenue, and two lanes on Fayetteville Road from Godwin to Roberts avenues.
Mayor Bruce Davis has called the project a “great improvement” that will take some adjustment on the part of travelers. He said the project will ease traffic on a road that will become busier in the future.
Two speakers, one businessman and one resident, raised questions about the project during the public comment section of Monday’s meeting. They each said the project’s complexity calls for further study.
A business that is to be built in the Fayetteville Road business corridor will appeal to Lumberton’s sweet tooth. Cold Stone Creamery, an upscale ice cream emporium, will locate on Wintergreen Drive, at the site of the former Huddle House restaurant.
According to City Manager Wayne Horne, the business project has been in the works for a year. No construction date has been set.
Also on Monday, a conditional-use permit was granted to French Family Properties to allow the subdividing property off Dawn Drive so Spectrum Cable can relocate the building housing its cable television electronics to a location outside the flood plain.
City Council members also approved $9,966 to design a flood mitigation project for the water plant. The plan calls for the installation of pumps behind a berm as a backup plan against flooding.
The water plant is located in Lumberton’s flood-prone west side. It was knocked out during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and operated successfully behind an earthen berm during Hurricane Florence.
Council members also approved $11,330 in additional costs for phase one of the Riverwalk in downtown Lumberton. Changes in design were required after contractors encountered difficulties driving support pilings into the river bed.
Finally, the City Council members and other city leaders recognized 35-year employee Sheila Smith, who is retiring. She was a customer service representative, beginning work in 1983.
