Restricting Downtown Business Hours Topic of Today’s Public Hearing
The Henderson Planning Board held a public hearing at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon in the City Hall Council Chambers to discuss restricting hours of operation for nightclubs, taverns, lounges and dance halls in the downtown Henderson business district.
The Henderson Police Department, in conjunction with Development Services staff, made the request to restrict hours of operation in the B-1, Central Business District.
The request adds language to the existing ordinance regulating the hours of operation for nightclubs, taverns, lounges and dance halls in the B-1 district to Sunday through Thursday from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4 a.m. to midnight.
The request also stipulates that restaurants obtain a special-use permit if they provide live music or dancing.
Language has also been added to allow businesses established prior to construction of residential properties to be grandfathered in under zoning requirements until the business undergoes a change in ownership or in business type.
Hotels and motels are excluded from these particular zoning requirements.
The ordinance as it reads on the Henderson Planning Board’s agenda is outlined below. Type in red indicates proposed changes to Ordinance 18:
ORDINANCE 18
TEXT AMENDMENT TO AMEND ARTICLE 600B: SUPPLEMENTARY USE REGULATION SECTION 652B: NIGHT CLUBS, TAVERNS, LOUNGES & DANCE HALLS.
The City Council of the City of Henderson, North Carolina ordains: That the following section be amended/added to the City Zoning Code:
Section 652B: Night Clubs, Taverns, Lounges and Dance Halls
652B.1 Location and Hours
No night club, tavern or lounge (except night clubs, taverns or lounges with 25,000 square feet of individual building floor area that are located within a shopping center with at least 100,000 square feet of total area) shall be located within a radius of 500 feet of any school, church, hospital, funeral home, domiciliary home, rooming house, residential dwelling unit or residential zoning district.
Hours of operation in a B-1 (Central Business District) Sunday thru Thursday from 4 AM to 10 PM, Friday and Saturday 4 AM to midnight. In the event restaurant provides live music and/or dancing a special use permit is required. Any place of business that was established prior to construction of residential properties within this area shall be grandfathered under this zoning requirement until such time a business changes owners or business type. Hotels and motels are also excluded.
652B.2 State Standards
Any night club, tavern or lounge shall demonstrate that it can meet the standards for on-premises ABC Permit under Chapter 18, Article 10 of the North Carolina General Statutes in the event that any alcoholic beverages are to be consumed on the premises.
652B.3 Noise
Every night club, tavern or lounge shall be designed and constructed as to prevent unreasonably loud noise from emanating beyond the premises in such a manner that they would disturb nearby uses.
652B.4 Dance Halls
Dance halls serving alcoholic beverages shall be deemed to be a nightclub. Dance Halls serving no alcoholic beverages shall not meet the locational or State standards set forth in subsections 652B.1 and 652B.2 but shall meet the noise requirements set forth in section 652B.3
652B.5 Banquet Facilities/Event Center
No banquet facilities/event center shall be located in a radius of two hundred fifty (250) feet from any school, church, residential dwelling unit or residential district measured from the occupied/rentable space.
The requirements and restrictions of Section 10-30 (a) through (e) of the City of Henderson, North Carolina Code shall apply to the uses permitted by this section. (Amended 12/12/16).
Theft From Construction Site of Henderson Collegiate School
-Press Release, Henderson Police Department
On July 8, 2018, it was reported to members of the Henderson Police Department that a large equipment battery and 300 feet of cypress lumber were stolen from the construction site of Henderson Collegiate School, 1071 Old Epsom Road, Henderson. The Henderson Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect(s) involved in this case.
Please contact the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141, Crime Stoppers at 252-492-1925, or use the P3 app on a smartphone or tablet device. Callers may remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers offers rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of suspects involved in criminal acts.
Authority: Chief M.W. Barrow
Simmons to Hold ‘Coffee With A Candidate’ Meet and Greet
-Information courtesy Tiarra L. Mosley, Campaign Manager, the Committee for Allen Simmons for Vance County Sheriff
Coffee With A Candidate: Allen Simmons
The community is invited to meet Allen Simmons, candidate for Vance County Sheriff, on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, from 8 – 10 a.m. at Hardee’s, 120 E Dabney Dr., Henderson.
This Coffee with a Candidate session will allow Vance County citizens to come and have a one-on-one conversation with Simmons.
Simmons, a veteran of the Henderson Police Department, is running as an unaffiliated candidate for Sheriff of Vance County against Curtis Brame (Dem) and Charles Pulley (Rep).
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Families Living Violence Free to Hold Quarter Auction at Vino Oasi
– Information courtesy Peggy Roark, Sexual Assault Advocate & PREA Coordinator, Families Living Violence Free
Families Living Violence Free will hold a quarter auction on Friday, August 3, 2018, at Vino Oasi, 3200 Bliss Trail, Stem.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.- Dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m. – Auction begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 (dinner and bidding paddle)
All proceeds go to direct services for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and survivors.
Don’t forget to bring rolls of quarters for bidding and extra cash to purchase products from available vendors.
Call Families Living Violence Free at (919) 693-3579 for more information or to get tickets. Tickets are also available online at www.flvf.org
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U.S. Forfeits $700K+ in Proceeds Seized from Convenience Store Operators
-Press Release, U.S. Department of Justice
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced the forfeiture of $765,850.27 seized from Southern Pines residents Mukesh and Daxaban Patel and their company, Shree Zapesvari, Inc., doing business as Jay’s Food Mart 1 and 2. Under the terms of a Settlement Agreement filed on July 13, 2018, in the United States District Court in the Middle District of North Carolina, $100,000 of the total of $865,850.27 seized from the Patels will be returned to them, with the remainder forfeited.
In a Complaint filed on December 23, 2016, the United States alleged that the cash seized from the Patels’ convenience stores was the proceeds of illegal gambling in violation of state and federal law. As alleged in the Complaint, an undercover investigation revealed that the Patels operated several illegal electronic gaming machines and games of chance at both Jay’s Food Mart 1 and 2, machines owned by a third-party, with whom they split the proceeds. The machines, which contain a display similar to slot machines, contained gaming software provided by a gaming software provider. Patrons who won received payoffs on site.
“A segment of the gaming industry continues to foist illegal games of chance on the people of North Carolina,” says United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., “particularly on those least able to afford this addictive and destructive habit – this in spite of clear directives from both the North Carolina General Assembly and Supreme Court of North Carolina barring such games. This case represents one way in which we will seek to limit the reach of this lucrative yet pernicious industry.”
Homeland Security Investigations Resident Agent in Charge Timothy P. Stone says that “as these segments of the gaming industry continue to pedal games of chance onto the public of North Carolina, an environment ripe for illegal behavior is created, one that preys on the livelihood of many while costing others their lives.” Stone says that “the success of the investigation would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations Division, and the Office of the United States Attorney, all critical in helping bring the individuals and businesses of this industry to justice.”
Assistant United States Attorney Steve West represented the government in this matter.
News releases are available on the U. S. Attorney’s webpage at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_EDNC.
Still Plenty of Time for Summer Reading at Perry Memorial Library
Patti McAnally, director of the Perry Memorial Library in Henderson, was recently on WIZS’ Town Talk to discuss current and upcoming library programs, including summer reading.
“Although we are currently in the middle of summer reading, there are still a lot of opportunities to get involved,” said McAnally.
Parents interested in getting their children involved in the program may pick up a reading packet in the Youth Services Department. Children will have the opportunity to reach weekly reading goals and complete their reading log to be eligible for drawings and prizes.
Parents of participating youth will also be eligible for entry into an adult drawing for prizes if their child completes their summer reading log. “We figured that kids probably haven’t done it by themselves,” McAnally said. “Their parents have helped read to them and encourage them.”
In addition to being fun and keeping kids occupied during the school break, the summer reading program is also beneficial to academic retainment. “Summer reading is especially important because ‘summer slide’ can happen. There have been several studies done on this and it refers to students losing some of the academic gains they make during the school year over the summer,” McAnally said.
While staying engaged in school-required reading material may be difficult for some, McAnally believes summer reading can help children discover a genre of books that truly interests them. “What I like about the library’s summer reading program is we don’t have a required list of books; kids can read what they want. I think this helps them develop a love of reading for fun.”
The summer reading program will conclude with a finale in the Children’s Storytime Kiva on Friday, August 3 at 4 p.m. BoHo the Clown will provide character antics and family fun for this event.
Youth summer library programs include:
Totally Tweens – Ages 8 – 12 – Mondays at 5 p.m.
Story Explorers – Ages 5 – 11 – Tuesdays at 5 p.m.
Books & Babies – Ages Birth – 2 – Thursdays at 10:45 a.m.
Mother Goose Storytime – Ages 2 – 5 – Thursdays at 11 a.m.
LEGO Fun Club – Ages 5 – 13 – Thursdays at 4 p.m.
The Perry Memorial Library is located at 205 Breckenridge Street in Henderson. Visit their website at www.perrylibrary.org for additional information on children and adult programs.
Public Open House for P5 Regional Transportation Projects
-Press Release, Kerr-Tar Regional Transportation Planning Organization
The public is invited to an open house on Thursday, July 19, 2018, to express their opinions on the regional transportation projects in Franklin, Granville, Person, Vance, and Warren Counties being considered for inclusion in the NCDOT 2020-2029 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STIP is a 10-year plan that identifies funding for projects throughout North Carolina and schedules them for construction.
The Kerr-Tar Regional Transportation Planning Organization (KTRPO) will hold an informal open house on Thursday at the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ office, 1724 Graham Avenue, Henderson, NC, from 5 to 7 p.m. Residents will be able to view all potential projects and provide feedback. KTRPO staff will be present to answer any questions and address any concerns.
For those unable to attend the open house, the projects are available for review on the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ website: https://www.kerrtarcog.org/. Comments may be submitted via email to info@kerrtarcog.org. Please include P5 Regional Projects Comments in the subject line.
Henderson Rec. Players to Present “Clybourne Park”
-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor
The Henderson Rec Players will present “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center nightly August 9-11 at 8 p.m. and August 12 at 2 p.m.
Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Play, “Clybourne Park” is a satire about the politics of race that will be directed by Stephanie Asabi Howard. In response to Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” playwright Bruce Norris set up his work as a pair of scenes that bookend Hansberry’s piece and are set in the same modest bungalow on Chicago’s northwest side.
In 1959, Russ and Bev move out to the suburbs after the tragic death of their son. Inadvertently, they sell their house to the neighborhood’s first black family. Fifty years later in 2009, the roles are reversed when a young white couple buys the lot in what is now a predominantly black neighborhood, signaling a new wave of gentrification. In both instances, a community showdown takes place, pitting race against real estate with this home as the battleground.
Tickets are available for $15 at the McGregor Hall Box Office, 201 Breckenridge St. in Henderson, by calling (252) 598-0662 or visiting www.mcgregorhall.org.
For more information, please contact Crystal Allen at (252) 431-6091 or email callen@ci.henderson.nc.us
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