The air outside Tuesday night was sultry, heavy with humidity, but inside the Wake Forest Town Hall’s rotunda board meeting room the only adjective could be brisk as the mayor and commissioners dispatched the agenda with almost no discussion in less than an hour.
          There was no discussion for the final reading and approval of the Public Art Ordinance which establishes a Public Art Commission, requires 1 percent of the construction cost for the town’s capital improvements be set aside for public art, and encourages private builders and developers to provide for public art. The measure was included in the consent agenda with other items and passed unanimously.
          There was also no discussion about increasing the sewer availability fees – fees paid for new construction at the time the building permit is issued – by three dollars over a 12-month period, raising it a dollar each on Oct. 1 of this year, April 1, 2011, and Oct. 1, 2011. Commissioner Peter Thibodeau voted no without stating his objections, but during the Aug. 3 work session had questioned why the increase had to be done incrementally.
          The only questioning came when the board considered a request from the Wake Forest Baptist Church to waive the building and electrical fees totaling $130 for the renovations they plan to do at James Massenburg’s home on North Allen Road. There has been water damage to the back room of the house requiring about $4,000 worth of electrical and carpentry repairs.
          Commissioner Chris Kaeberlein asked if such a waiver had been approved before, and Planning Director Chip Russell said such fees had been routinely waived in the past for the East End section because it has been identified as a redevelopment area. He added, “It’s not something that happens every time.”
          Kaeberlein said he was concerned even though it had been done in the past, saying it could open the door to more requests for waivers. “How do we say no?”
          Attorney Eric Vernon may have eased Kaeberlein’s fears by saying that, although the board may not discriminate in assessing fees, this request has been tied to a specific area and the discussion is in the minutes.
          Russell said the town has designated that area to receive Community Development funds since before he came to work here. “We still receive CDC funds. The latest funds were used to extend Perry Street” from North Allen to Jubilee Village, pave the road, add curb and gutter and a sidewalk. The next use will be to expand the Alston-Massenburg Community Center on Taylor Street.
          Later, the board agreed to hire architect Matt Hale to draw up a master plan and architectural plans for the Alston-Massenburg expansion at a cost of $48,000. Hale is working with the East End Association in formulating the plans. The center, the former bath house for the long-defunct Taylor Street swimming pool, currently is able to use less than half of the building.
          There was a unanimous vote to approve a contract with the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) for the use of the town’s soccer fields. “They’ve been using the fields for years,” Town Manager Mark Williams said, but the contract formalizes the gentlemen’s agreement. CASL will pay the town $50,000 for the first three years, $55,000 for four years, then $60,000 for the final three years of the ten-year contract. The money will be used to maintain and improve the fields. The affected fields are the three at the Smith Creek Soccer Center, the football and soccer fields at Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle School and fields three and four at Heritage High School.
          The commissioners also approved a resolution of appreciation for past members of the town’s advisory boards. Those people named are Bob Bridges, board of adjustment; Kelly Baker and the late Frank Smith, the cemetery board; Bob Johnson, the greenway board; Maenitta Thomas, Richard Longhway, and Karen McVickers, the human relations council; Edwin Gary, the planning board; Tom Shipman, David Faircloth, and Lacusia Green, the recreation board; Sarah Bridges and Hope Newsome, the senior center; Jeff Yokovich, the urban forestry board; Scott Wagner, the historic preservation commission; and Darnesha Adams, Kiana Daniel, Kyra Daniel, Felicia Fotsch, Caroline Jordan, Gabriel Lopez, Holden McLemore, Austin Moorman, and Toyosi Oyelowl, the nine members of the 2009-2010 youth board.