By By MIKE VOSS
Contributing Editor
During its meeting Monday, the Washington City Council is expected to review a proposed agreement concerning the widening a section of 15th Street to provide a center turn lane.
The proposed agreement with the N.C. Department of Transportation calls for widening the section of 15th Street from about 400 feet west of Washington Street to about 400 feet east of Pierce Street. If approved, the agreement calls for the city to pay costs for acquiring needed right of way, with those costs expected to exceed $135,000, and relocating utilities, with those costs expected to exceed $150,000.
“At this time, staff is still reviewing recently revised plans which significantly reduced right of way acquisition necessary for the project to determine if these figures are sufficient to cover the costs associated with utility relocation. As such, this agreement is submitted for your review only at this time,” wrote Allen Lewis, the city’s public-works director, in a memorandum to the mayor and council.
Also on the council’s tentative agenda is possible adoption of a capital-projects ordinance to allocate funds for proposed stormwater-drainage improvement projects. The projects were included in the 2010-2011 stormwater-fund budget.
The estimated cost of the projects is nearly $4 million.
In May, the council voted 4-1 to pursue spending nearly $4 million on such improvements in the Jack’s Creek basin.
To pay for the projects, the city is looking at using $4 million of the nearly $6 million in Economic Recovery Zone Bond capacity awarded to the city by the N.C. Department of Commerce. Of the $4 million the city is looking at spending, $42,000 would be used to replace the roof at the city’s headquarters fire station at the corner of North Market and Fifth streets.
Voting for the measure were council members Ed Moultrie, William Pitt, Gil Davis and Bobby Roberson, who made the motion to pursue issuing the bonds. Councilman Doug Mercer cast the lone dissenting vote. The vote does not obligate the city to issue bonds or spend any money on the projects.
Economic Recovery Zone Bonds are another tool that local governments may use to enhance their economic-development efforts. Issuance of such bonds does not require a referendum. Economic Recovery Zone Bonds are a form of Build America Bonds. The city was allocated $4,475,000 in bond capacity for stormwater drainage improvements.
About nine years ago, an engineering study identified about $12 million in projects that would help alleviate the city’s drainage problem in the Jack’s Creek basin.
In June, the council authorized the city manager to enter into an engineering agreement with Rivers and Associates Inc. to perform engineering and other services for drainage improvements in the city.
Other items on the agenda include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Consider an ordinance concerning repair of the roof at the city’s headquarters fire station.
• Amend the city’s ordinances to allow police stations and fire stations are special uses in the city’s airport zoning district.
• Review a report about the brick crosswalks at the intersection of Stewart Parkway and Respess Street.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 102. E. Second St.