One of the first actions Tuesday night when the Wake Forest Town Board meets is a proclamation recognizing September as Firefighter Appreciation Month.
          All the town hall, police department and other downtown workers will find they do have a keener appreciation after today (Wednesday, Aug. 11) when, around 2 p.m., a construction crew working on South Taylor Street between Wait and Elm cut into a natural gas line, forcing an immediate evacuation of those town buildings and nearby businesses. The Wake Forest Police Department and Fire Department blocked off Elm, Brooks and other nearby streets. Although it was first thought it would take several hours to repair the rupture, it was complete shortly after 3 p.m. Town hall, the police department and the nearby businesses were able to reopen then.
          Because of the lack of questions from board members after the first round of comments and some changes, the final reading and vote on the new Public Art Ordinance is included in the consent agenda. The ordinance will establish a new Public Art Commission that will use the 1 percent of the cost of each public project set aside for art and encourage private builders to do the same.
          The increase in the town’s sewer availability fee charged at the time a building permit for a residential or commercial building is obtained will raise the current fee of $5.51 per gallon (based on number of bedrooms or square footage) to $8.51 per gallon in three steps.
          The commissioners will be asked to waive the $130 permit fee to allow members of the Wake Forest Baptist Church to repair water damage and electrical problems at James Massenburg’s home on North Taylor Street. Members of the church and contractors will do the work.
          They will also consider hiring architect Matt Hale to design the renovations at the Alston-Massenburg Center on North Taylor Street to use all of the building and increase the usable space from 2,800 to 4,250 square feet. The building began life as the bath house/concession area for the long-defunct Taylor Street Pool.
          Other agenda items are a proposed contract with CASL (Capital Area Soccer League) which, Town Manager Mark Williams, makes official the agreements the town has had with CASL to use soccer fields in the past and a proposed contract with The Lawrence Group to help frame the town’s Unified Development Ordinance which will bring together all planning elements – zoning, subdivision, stormwater, erosion and sediment control, flood damage and standards – in one document.
          The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17, and will be televised on Channel 10.