February 14, 2007

Published in Wake Forest, NC

            The money will come from the $9.5 million bond issue voters approved in the spring of 2005. The spiraling cost of oil and oil products has increased the cost of the anticipated projects. Installing a median and roundabouts along Franklin Street, for instance, has grown from the original $2.4 million to over $6.6 million.

            South Main is now five lanes from Capital Boulevard to Rogers Road, three lanes from Rogers to Forbes Road, two lanes from Forbes to Friendship Chapel Road and three lanes again from Friendship Chapel to the original town limits just south of West Holding Avenue.

            Deputy Town Manager Roe O’Donnell said in his summary that “a recent study prepared by Kimley-Horn found that widening the … section of the road to three lanes would provide sufficient capacity until at least the year 2030 provided both South Franklin Street and Ligon Mill Road extension are completed.”

            The developers of Holding Village plan to complete Franklin Street from the bypass to a stub in Heritage if their plans are approved, and the developers of Reynolds Mill subdivision on Forbes Road will build two lanes of Ligon Mill and grade two more.

            The town would need to acquire some right-of-way and some easements to widen the street from Forbes to Friendship Chapel.

            The first step in building a sidewalk along the east side of North White Street from Juniper to the entrance to Sedgefield subdivision (Moultonboro Avenue) would be to spend $39,850 for a contract with Appian Consulting Engineers for engineering design for the sidewalk and drainage improvements.

            The sidewalk would give pedestrian access to the Flaherty Park balllfields and community center from downtown and the northeast section of town.

            When it convenes at 7 p.m. in town hall, the board is also expected to approve the conceptual plan for the new town hall and to act on the recommendation of the Cemetery Board to increase the cost of burial plots by $100.

            A potentially controversial agenda item is the proposed extension of the municipal service district to include all of the Renaissance Plan area. It would extend the tax district from the present district down to the N.C. 98 bypass. The apartments on Franklin Street, the Avondale townhouses on East Elm and the Heath Ridge Village subdivision would not be included.

            The current MSD was established in 1998 to fund the off-street parking between South White and Brooks streets. Properties in the district pay an additional 10 cents on the town’s tax rate of 54 cents.

            An impetus to increase the district is the town’s designation as a Main Street community because MSD funds can be used for Main Street activities.

            Wake Forest’s MSD still owes $33,000 on the parking lot debt, which will be paid of in fiscal 2009-10. The current levy is $41,666, and the extension of the district would add $4,694.

            In other agenda items:

            -- Kathryn Drake will tell the board the Freeman house on Rogers Road cannot be saved because of extensive termite damage.

            -- the board will hold public hearings about the annexation of 8.3 acres on Galaxy Drive, the 2009-2015 transportation plan for the Triangle, and the permanent closing of West Avenue and Rankin Court.

            -- the appointment of Thomas Neal, the only applicant and a North Main resident, to the Historic Preservation Commission.

            -- Pregnancy Support Services is asking to use the lawn at the Wake Forest College Birthplace on North Main for its annual Walk for Life on April 21. The activities will include amplified music.

            -- consideration of the two requests the planning board recommended earlier this month: the master plan for the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary campus and rezoning the historic Wakefields property to conditional use neighborhood business.

            -- consideration of an interim application process for wireless communications.

            -- amendments to the urban services area agreement with Rolesville. This would be a swap of land that can be served in the future. Wake Forest will give Rolesville land along Averette Road north of N.C. 98 to the county line, and Rolesville will give Wake Forest land south of N.C. 98 adjacent to the Austin Creek subdivision and south toward Rolesville.

            -- a protest by Cornerstone Homes, the developers of the Villas at Wake Forest next to the Caveness Farm Apartments, about the location of the electric substation on the N.C. 98 bypass and adjacent to the condominium project. The letter asks for town board review of the site plan. Earlier this month the board approved the funding for the substation.

            -- a contract with Modular Technologies for the new American Legion building.

            -- a closed session to discuss the acquisition of easements for the Franklin Street roundabouts, sidewalks and other improvements.