City Council to discuss tourism data

Published 7:56 am Sunday, March 8, 2009

By By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
The Washington City Council is expected to endorse a tourism study and accompanying recommendations at its Monday meeting.
Those recommendations include locating a hotel on the city’s waterfront or close enough so visitors staying there can see the Pamlico River.
Endorsing the study does not obligate the city to allocate funding for recommendations in it, council members said last month when the study was presented to them.
In other anticipated action Monday, A.G Swanner is scheduled to discuss terms for the Belle of Washington, a dinner-cruise/party boat, to use the city’s waterfront docks and related facilities.
Rebecca Clark is scheduled to discuss a dog park.
M.S. Paramore is scheduled to discuss the city’s order that he clean up what it considers his junkyard on Sand Hole Road off U.S. Highway 17 between Washington and Chocowinity.
The city considers Paramore is violating zoning laws, and sent him a zoning-compliance letter at the beginning of November. A letter was also sent to Bobby Whichard, who owns the junkyard property.
The city gave Paramore 90 days to clean up the junkyard. That deadline passed earlier this month.
Although Paramore has made some effort to meet the city’s order, he has not done enough, city officials said last month during a council meeting.
The council also is expected to authorize the city manager to negotiate a contract with Architects Design Group to develop plans for a new police station and related facilities.
The council meets at 4:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building Council Chambers, 102 E. Second St., where the council’s complete agenda may be viewed.