City Council Meeting Tonight

Council Considers Timber sale, Tarboro Street rezonings

The Wilson City Council will consider several purchase contracts, planning board recommendations and receive a report on its broadband system during tonight's meeting. The council will meet at 7 p.m. at city hall.

The contracts include $93,933 for the purchase of a garbage truck body and $103, 208 for the purchase of a street sweeper body. Council will also consider approving an agreement with Tidewater Land and Timber to cut trees in a 223-acre area of the Wilson Industrial Air Center. The tree removal is due to a Federal Aviation Administration inspection that concluded trees are obstructing airport runways. The timber company will harvest the trees before the end of the year and pay the city for the timber on a per ton basis.

Dathan Shows, assistant city manager for broadband and technical services, will report to the council that Greenlight, the city's Internet, cable and telephone company, has more than 5,000 residential and business customers. City leaders view the subscription level as a milestone toward the goal of having enough customers to make the broadband system self-sufficient, said Brian Bowman, Wilson public affairs manager.

Public hearings will be held on the following requests:

* Rezoning a 2.51-acre tract next to undeveloped residential lots in the Cedar Ridge subdivision on N.C. 42, from single-family residential to business and 1.56 acres next to homes in the subdivision from single-family residential to an office zone. The requested office zone is intended to serve as a buffer between the residential area and 2.51-acre tract, which is connected to 19 acres of land that could be developed into a shopping center in the future. The properties are near the intersection of N.C. 42 and Airport Boulevard.

* Rezoning a block of nine properties including and surrounding Tabernacle Baptist Church on Tarboro Street. The 5-acre area includes properties on Tarboro Street, Parkview Street, Park Avenue and Forrest Road, which are zoned office, residential and multi-family residential. Wilson Youth United, which plans to use the properties for a youth center, is requesting all the properties be rezoned to an office and residential zone.

* Rezoning 4.85 acres at the corner of 1801 Firestone Parkway and 1721 Herring Ave. from an industrial zone to a neighborhood service business zone. The land may be used for commercial businesses.

A public hearing will be held for two voluntary annexation requests for 8.45 acres on Raleigh Road Parkway near Raven Ridge Drive for Ashbrook West Commercial Park and 3.09 acres on Brewer Court off N.C. 58 for additions to the Windfield Colony subdivision.

Council appointments to its boards, committees and commissions will be considered, a $200,000 application for Environmental Protection Agency brownfield assessment funding and ordinances allowing the city inspector to raze several properties considered unsafe for occupancy. The properties are 621 and 623 Manchester St., 506 Bynum Circle, 1201 Crawford St., 411 Belmont Ave., 702 Lodge St. and 2901 Black Creek Road.

* Article appeared in the Wilson Times written by staff reporter Rochelle Moore.