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Chamber wants closer
ties to town
The Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce
wants to have closer ties and better communication with the town government,
the chamber’s executive director, Jodi LaFreniere, said during last week’s town
board work session.
She proposes reporting in person to
the full board twice a year and submitting written reports twice a year along
with reporting to Town Manager Mark Williams at that time.
The chamber has an annual contract
with the town of $32,000 for economic development. “Our role is to access and
maintain economic and statistical information, respond to questions, create
marketing materials, work with existing businesses that are interested in
expanding, and working with the town manager,” LaFreniere said.
LaFreniere described some of the
chamber’s activities since she came to town six months ago, which included many
calls for help in locating office space – They were able to help everyone
except one business that needed an executive suite – meetings with “a major
tenant coming in from Virginia,” and meeting with several large property
owners.
She gave the commissioners a synopsis
of the economic development study done for the town, funded by ElectriCities,
by Sanford and Holshouser that was published in 2005.
There is an implementation program
available from ElectriCities, LaFreniere said, which will pay for a consultant
one day a month for 12 months.
She said the chamber is very
interested in developing a certified site with the help of the Wake County
Economic Commission, wants to focus on downtown and coordinate with the
Downtown Revitalization Corporation, and work to recruit businesses that will
stay here and expand here.
The second report during the work
session was from Greg Hoit of the Greenway Advisory Board, who was supported by
town planner Lisa Potts and Steve and Tammy Kaufman.
“There is very strong community
support for implementing more greenways on the ground sooner,” Hoit said.
“We’ve seen that in the vision meetings, in the elections and in public events.
People want more greenways, more connectivity.” The greenway board looks at
that sentiment as a challenge.
Hoit said the greenway board wants the
town to continue building professional paved greenways. “We want to do more,
and we’re going to be coming to you for increased money.”
But to build even more greenways even
faster, the greenway board wants to create soft-surface, multi-user trails that
will cost less. The users would include walkers, runners, cyclers and
horse-back riders.
“An example is the reservoir,” Hoit
said, where a trail around it could be built by volunteers like the Kaufmans,
members of a cycling group.
Hoit asked the town commissioners for
their support and for an official letter to the City of Raleigh, which now owns
the reservoir, for permission to build the trail. The town would also have to
provide staff support and money for some other services. “We know we’re going
to have to build bridges, do surveying, get easements.”
The commissioners had several
questions about the use by different groups, maintenance and contractual
issues, all of which were resolved.
“It looks to me like the world’s
largest Eagle Scout project,” Commissioner Frank Drake said.
Assistant town engineer Scott Miles
presented the Phase II stormwater ordinance based on the state’s model, which
was approved by the commissioners in October even though there were questions
because there was a state deadline. Since then there have been two meetings for
people such as engineers and developers who will have to meet the ordinance’s
requirements. There are concerns about the cost of the ordinance, Miles said.
“We’re still in a learning process” and are not sure about the costs.
“There are loopholes in this you could
drive a truck through,” Commissioner Peter Thibodeau, a geologist, said. “We
need to discuss this more. As it is, I think it has no teeth whatsoever.”
Thibodeau suggested discussing the
ordinance at this week’s town board retreat, but Mayor Vivian Jones and Town
Manager Mark Williams both said there would probably not be time. It was agreed
to have the discussion at the February work session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb.
5.
Before then, Drake said Thibodeau and
Miles should meet.
Drake later asked the status of the
proposed ordinance, similar to one in Apex, which would govern the demolition
of historic properties. Planning Director Chip Russell said it was being
discussed by the Historic Preservation Commission and said he would provide a
memo to the commissioners about the status.
Commissioner Margaret Stinnett said
the meeting about noise from the police firing range would be held Thursday,
Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Flaherty Park Community Center.
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