PLYMOUTH — Well, sometimes prayers are answered — praise be to God that the special meeting of Town Council was short, very short.
Wednesday, speaking to a crowded gallery, Mayor Brian Roth announced that the council was removing a few items from the agenda — resolutions dealing with proposed leases of properties at 116 and 118 Washington Street (Bear Town Market) — see our preview story — and another at 811 Washington — Food Pantry — we all know about that. Also, item 2 — see agenda at the end.
Council approved removing those items from the agenda — didn’t give a reason — but it being a sunny Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I counted my lucky stars and thanked God because those topics would’ve surely made for a long meeting. No word on when these items might reappear on council’s radar.
The open session portion of the meeting lasted around 12 minutes before council moved into executive session – matters that Roth said council would not take any action on when the meeting returned to open session.
Other than that, council approved series of actions tied to long-planned sewer system upgrades, approving revised project documents, an engineering contract amendment, and two grant administration agreements for the town’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) lift station improvement project.
Council approved an amendment for its engineering partner, ARK Consulting Group, PLLC, related to lift station design work. Staff explained that when the original engineering contract was submitted to the Division of Water Infrastructure (DWI), additional provisions were required.
“It needed an addendum… and the addendum basically has to… have terminology in it regarding BABA, the Build America Buy America clause… conflict of interest, discrimination clauses, those things they didn’t have in the original contract,” staff reported.
The board then considered two contracts with the Mideast Commission for grant administration tied to CDBG projects. Both contracts were approved unanimously following a motion and second.
Mayor Roth then invited Lee Padrick of the Mideast Commission—praised by town leaders for his experience—to introduce himself and offer project details.
Padrick said he previously worked with the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Development Division before joining the Mid-East commission. He talked briefly about grants that will fund upgrades to four lift stations and installation of three permanent generators.
“We look forward, over the next three years, to getting these sewer improvements made here in the town of Plymouth,” he said.
The council later entered closed session under N.C. General Statute 143-318.1181.
Thus, have a happy Thanksgiving – Albemarle Observer.