Tag Archive for: #cityofhenderson

Changes in City Recycling, Yard Debris Schedule For Christmas Holiday

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The City of Henderson has announced the upcoming holiday schedule for sanitation services.

The schedule will be as follows for Recycling and Yard Debris:

Monday, Dec. 20 – Monday and Tuesday Route
Tuesday, Dec. 21 – Wednesday and Thursday Route
Wednesday, Dec. 22 – Friday Route
Thursday, Dec. 23 – Holiday  – No Work
Friday December 24 – Holiday –  No Work

The GFL (Waste Industries) garbage collection will operate on a normal schedule.

The Local Skinny! What’s Happening In Downtown Henderson

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If the city of Henderson were to write a letter to Santa this year, you can bet that increased downtown economic development would be somewhere on the Christmas wish list.

City officials heard an update from Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan recently about what’s going on downtown, and it sounds like some of those wishes could be coming true.

The Thursday edition of The Local Skinny! ran down a list of openings and re-openings that are happening now in downtown Henderson.

  • For starters, holiday decorations are going up Friday evening, just in time for the Christmas parade that will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m.
  • Did you know that a grocery store is planned for Horner Street? Madigan said she doesn’t have many details yet, but even a small retail grocery that neighbors can walk to would be welcome.
  • The Gear and Beer shop has opened
  • The former Screenmaster location is being converted to an all-inclusive office space.
  • Madigan told the council that the city will have to invest in new banners, because the brackets in place now on newly installed Duke utility poles won’t accommodate the existing banners.
  • The much-talked -about brewery in the former Falkner Coal and Oil building is making progress. Madigan said the owner is a “pay-as-you-go businessman,” so it could take a while to come to fruition.
  • Bombshell Nail and Spa has opened; the business has applied for a façade grant.
  • Citizens Pub, at the corner of Breckenridge and Garnett streets is set to reopen as an event center

In addition to the retail news, Madigan shared with council members several beautification projects in various stages of completion:

  • There are plantings outside McGregor Hall, courtesy of Franklin Bros. Nursery
  • Four more benches have been ordered for the downtown area and should arrive in the next month
  • Plans to have crosswalk art have been submitted to NC Department of Transportation for approval

Visit https://hendersonncdowntown.org/ to learn more.

 

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City Leaders Continue Looking At Ways To Reimagine Downtown Neighborhoods To Attract Growth, Development

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As plans for reimagining and redeveloping neighborhoods near downtown Henderson continue, city leaders are considering ways to improve current areas while understanding how best to create new opportunities for growth.

One way may be establishing an urban overlay district, which was explained to City Council members Monday as a way to allow for multifamily housing units in areas where they currently are not allowed.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS News in a written statement that the overlay district is just one aspect of the redevelopment work being planned to “jumpstart” the urban redevelopment area, or URA, in the Elmwood area of Henderson. The groundwork being laid now, Blackmon said, is “designed to entice builders/developers to consider new development, as well as infill development in the city of Henderson.”

As Corey Williams, the city’s development services department director, explained, the city has torn down numerous homes that were either abandoned or in disrepair. But when the properties remain vacant, with no growth or development filling in, the state defines that as “blight.”

The UNC School of Government is working on a study to move the URA forward and to help define the area and offer tools to help remove the blight.

That could mean additional code enforcement, but Williams said the city hasn’t unpacked that part of the toolbox yet.

“I think we can balance it out,” Williams told WIZS News Wednesday. “We’ll build more with less land, make our community walkable, safe and friendly and tie everything back to downtown,” he added. And the infill development can be done in a way that it enhances the downtown area and put neighborhoods within walking distance of downtown amenities.

The city also may be able to acquire properties that can be bundled to create larger chunks of continguous land, which could be beneficial for further development.

Most developers, he said, aren’t interested in doing all the infrastructure work needed to develop properties – it’s almost become the work of the city, he said. The city “can do the enforcement, put the pieces together and put it out (there) and market it to developers.”

With guidance from the council and the redevelopment commission, Williams said he sees a bright future for neighborhoods like those in the Elmwood URA.

The School of Government study showed that Henderson needs 3,000 additional housing units to accommodate residents. The Elmwood URA can’t handle that many single-family dwellings, so the overlay district would allow for mixed-use residences, from townhomes and condos to single-family homes. Key to this development is affordability to homeowners, he noted. In a mixed-use plan, there is room for renters and homeowners.

Development of a land use plan and updating the zoning ordinances may be in order as the city continues to look at ways to create neighborhoods in and around downtown. A unified development ordinance is something that Williams said may be in the city’s future. Such an ordinance would be a strategic way to approach development.

At the end of the day, Williams said, it is key to understand what the residents can afford. Single-family homes at $150/square foot may not be realistic. “I think if we can do some things that are affordable, but mixed-use, not just for moderate income…we’ll have a better standard of quality than we have had in the past.”

Leaf Collection ‘Season’ Kicks Off Oct. 18, But Not Before

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The City of Henderson has announced that leaf collection season will begin in October, and provided guidelines to residents to ensure proper placement to the leaves can be picked up.

Between Oct. 18, 2021 and Jan. 14, 2022, residents may places rows or piles of loose leaves and pine straw along the roadsides for the Public Works Department to collect. Be advised, however, that residents who place leaves or pine straw curbside before Oct. 26 or after Jan. 15 will find a $75 charge added to their monthly sanitation bill.

According to information from the city, rows or piles of leaves or pine straw shall:

  • be placed behind the curb not to interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
  • not be placed in an open ditch, gutter or street area as this can interfere with the city’s storm drainage system.
  • be free of trash and debris such as glass, cans, rocks, limb cuttings, etc. as this may damage collection equipment.
  • not be placed on top of your water meter.

The collection will be on a two- or three-week rotation, depending on weather conditions and leaf accumulation. Residents may bag the leaves and pine straw or place them in containers, but it is not required.

For more information, contact the public works department at 252.431.6115 or 252.431.6030.

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The Local Skinny! Pearson And Harris To Be Honored By City Of Henderson

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The Henderson City Council has approved naming a couple of city-owned properties for two former residents who helped shape the community and make it a better place for their neighbors.

The Operation and Service Center will be renamed in memory and in honor of Dr. Andrea L. Harris, who grew up in Henderson and went on to become a community activist and organizer. She also was instrumental in establishing the N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development, becoming its president in 1990.

And the public parking lot beside Sadie’s Coffee Corner in downtown Henderson will be named for the late Stephen Pearson, who opened Sadie’s in 2019 and was a vocal proponent of downtown revitalization and development.

Neither Harris nor Pearson was born in Henderson, but both made significant contributions to the place they called home.

City Manager Terrell Blackmon told WIZS that Council in August had asked him to investigate possible locations to consider. “(It) made a lot of sense to consider the parking lot next to Sadie‘s Coffee as an opportunity to honor Dr. Pearson,” Blackmon said Monday.  The Council voted unanimously to approve both recommendations at its Sept. 13 meeting. Making signs for the two locations are next on the to-do list.

Councilwoman Melissa Elliott suggested the Operations Center, he said. Harris was an advocate for contractors and the building industry and she also was a civil rights leader, which made the operations center a very fitting site – the operations center is the largest voting location during city and county elections.

Pearson died in March at the age of 57. He was chair of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission, and took pride in promoting new business in downtown Henderson.

Harris died in May 2020.

Although Harris was born in South Carolina, she grew up in Henderson and graduated from Henderson Institute in 1966 and then received her undergraduate degree from Bennett College in Greensboro in 1970. She started teaching school in 1971 – the first year of integration – at West End School like her mother had, and then began participating in community activism. She established the first rural transportation program in the state for older adults, among other things, at the local level.

Then, in the early 1980’s Harris began working in Raleigh at the state level. She began at the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency. It was during this time that Harris and her colleagues established the minority economic development institute.

She was active locally and participated on a variety of boards, councils and commissions.

She received many accolades and awards over the years, including the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from three governors and an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Bennett College.

In 2018, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Duke University’s Samuel Dubois Cook Society.

She was a member of the Oxford-Henderson Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a life member of the NAACP.  Andrea was a trustee and member of Kesler Temple AME Zion Church. She was small in stature but a forced to be reckoned with.  She was always willing to be a “voice” for the underrepresented, breaking down socio-economic, racial, and gender barriers as a broker for change and equality for ALL people.

Pearson, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army, is remembered for being the Army’s first Web Master. He earned a doctorate in Global Business Leadership in 2019 and wrote numerous books topics from entrepreneurship to cyber forensics. He taught required and elective classes at the School of Information and Library Science at UNC-Chapel Hill and New York’s Utica College and owned several businesses, including Sadie’s.

Volunteer To Pick Up Litter During CommUNITY Cleanup Day Sept. 25

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It’s not too late to sign up for CommUNITY Cleanup Day, as Henderson joins with the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Fall Litter Sweep program on Saturday morning.

Individuals, as well as churches, businesses and other organizations can pitch in and make a difference along the city’s roadways. City staff will be at the Operations Center parking lot, 900 S. Beckford Drive, at 7:45 a.m. on Sept. 25 to hand out safety vests, gloves and bags to volunteers.

Visit http://cms8.revize.com/revize/henderson/residents/index.php to sign up.

To learn more, contact Tracey Kimbrell at

252.430.5702 or traceykimbrell@henderson.nc.gov

Water Treatment Plant Project May See $3.5 M In Federal Funds

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The regional water plant improvement project continues to move forward, but so far, it’s more like a steady trickle than a blast from a firehose. Rep. David Price visited the water treatment plant last week and met with officials from the area to share that there likely will be $3.5 million in federal funds appropriated for the project, which has an estimated price tag of $66 million.

Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington said Price toured the Flemingtown Road facility and spoke with the tri-county delegation about the project, which will double the daily treatment capacity when it’s completed.

The KLRWS serves Henderson, Oxford and Warren County; Henderson is the managing partner at 60 percent and the City of Oxford and Warren County each have a 20 percent stake.

Ellington told WIZS News Tuesday that the visit  gave Price a chance to meet with mayors and managers to see first-hand how federal funding would be used.

“As the demand for water from our neighboring counties, new customers, as well as the growth we are experiencing, this is vital to our future,” Ellington said in an email. “I spoke with Rep. Price as he was leaving and he assured me he’s confident that this would make it through Congress for this fiscal year.”
Others on hand for the visit in addition to Ellington were KLRWS Chief Operator Steve Gupton, Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon, Oxford City Manager Alan Thornton, Warren County Manager Vincent Jones, Oxford Mayor Jackie Sergent and others, according to Ellington.

The city of Oxford is in Price’s district and he received a request for funding from city government officials; Warren County and Henderson are in G.K. Butterfield’s district and Henderson city officials requested funding on behalf of those entities. City Manager Blackmon said each congressional district was given the opportunity to submit the 10 best projects to be considered to receive federal funds in the 2022 Interior Appropriations Bill. This project represents a collaborative effort from both congressional districts, Blackmon said.

“This appropriation is only a small part of the total funding for the expansion project,” Blackmon said. The current funding commitment from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality SRF Program for the expansion project is more than $45 million, leaving a gap of about $20 million. The $3.5 million appropriation will assist in filling the funding gap for this project, he added.

Price issued a press statement in June about his efforts to fund projects in his home district. “Clean water is not a luxury – it’s fundamental to the health and safety of our communities, but our aging water infrastructure urgently needs funding,” Price stated. “I’m pleased that the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee included these critical projects in their annual funding bill, bringing them one step closer to reality with the passage of the House bill in Subcommittee.”

In addition to making repairs and forming expansion plans, the overall price tag is heftier because costs simply have gone up. The funding gap is preventing the project from getting underway.

One option would be to raise water rates slightly to cover the increased project cost.

In January 2021, the Henderson City Council approved a revised project cost of $57 million for upgrades to the regional water system, which serves 15 municipalities in three counties. At that time, Council member Garry Daeke, who also serves as the KLWRS advisory board chair, told WIZS that council’s action would allow the project to continue, but if additional grants or other funding streams couldn’t be secured, it could mean a rise in water rates.

Since talk of the project first began several years ago, there have been several challenges to overcome, including purchase of a new pump and rising construction costs. The original price was estimated at close to $40 million, but by the fall of 2020, the cost had risen considerably.

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Construction Of New Park Set To Begin Where Vance Hotel Once Stood

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Plans for construction of a park near downtown Henderson have been in the works for a couple of years, but Henderson City Manager Terrell Blackmon said this week that materials have been delivered and a ground-breaking ceremony will be held “in the near future.”

Among the features are a skate park and bike park, a splash pad and outdoor exercise and fitness stations, as well as a picnic shelter and walking trail. Blackmon said the park will be constructed in phases, unless some state grant funding comes through.

“We are a finalist for a state PARTF grant,” Blackmon told WIZS News. If the matching grant is awarded, the project could be completed in its entirety, he noted. PARTF stands for Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

“Materials for the Williams/Montgomery park were delivered last week. Preparation should begin within the next couple of weeks with grading of the property,” Blackmon said.

A representative from the state recreation commission made a pre-award site visit recently in advance of its August meeting. “Staff is hopeful the city will receive a grant that will allow for the development of the entire park rather than having to phase the park,” Blackmon said.

The proposed site of the park is at the corner of Williams Street and Montgomery Street, where the former Vance Hotel stood. The hotel burned in the 1980’s and the property has remained empty since then.

Police Department One Step Closer To Body-Worn Cameras, If Grant Comes Through

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The Henderson City Council has given the go-ahead for a couple of requests for grant funding to equip police officers with body cams and law enforcement cruisers with additional cameras.

At its July 12 meeting, council members approved grant proposals that Police Chief Marcus Barrow and staff have prepared. “Our officers have been asking for them for several years,” Barrow told WIZS News Thursday. He said if the application is approved, it will provide half the money needed to equip the officers with body-worn cameras. “We are seeking a grant that has a 50 percent match. The match funds would come from asset forfeiture funds or state treasury funds, which both are only used by law enforcement,” he added.

Barrow said his department does have some in-car cameras now, but so far, no body cams. “The cost to outfit an agency our size has been prohibitive in the past and we felt that this was an opportunity to seize assistance,” he said. The cost lies mainly with data storage, not in the camera itself, he explained, adding that many law enforcement agencies are faced with a similar challenge. All data should be kept for at least 90 days, he said, but tagged information may need to be kept forever.

If the department does get the grant funding for $48,958, the chief said it would set into motion additional regulations and policies for the department to follow. “I am sure there will be some growing pains associated with the use of body cameras,” Barrow said, “but we will educate and train the use to be muscle memory for the officers and use corrective action for any misuse.”

City Manager Terrell Blackmon said since the police department is an accredited department through the Commission for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), “Chief Barrow has taken the time to develop standards for our officers based on best practices from around the country and from our accrediting agency.”

“I’ve always stood by my position that we would not introduce this product unless and until we could afford to properly apply it,” Barrow added.

The second grant for $21,599 is for purchase of three WatchGuard Video Camera systems and does not require matching local funds and would be shared with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office, according to information from the city council agenda. The city would get almost $13,000 and the county would get just over $8,600.

Fire Safety; Fire Budget; New Henderson Fire Station

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The airwaves these days may be filled with news of COVID-19 vaccinations, politics and the economy, which means more mundane topics such as fire safety can get pushed out of the spotlight. But Henderson City Fire Chief Steve Cordell urges everyone to continue to be mindful of potential fire hazards, especially during the cold winter months.

Be careful with any supplemental heat source, Cordell said in an interview on Wednesday. Make sure that they are UL-approved, and make sure that those space heaters or kerosene heaters have at least a 36-inch clearance on all sides. And please do not use your stove or oven to heat your home, he stressed. “There are programs…to assist you,” Cordell said. “I encourage folks to reach out if you need assistance with heating.”

If your smoke detector is making that annoying chirp that indicates it needs a new battery, he said, there is help for that, too. “We tell people to give their battery a birthday,” Cordell said. Change the battery every six months, such as when the time changes in November and in April. “If you have a battery that is bad, that’s what we’re here for,” he noted. At this time, because of COVID-19 restrictions, city residents must schedule an appointment for city fire personnel to come to their home to change that battery or perform a home safety inspection.

Cordell said city residents should call Capt. Lee Edmonds, fire prevention coordinator, at 252.432.5108 or 252.438.7315 to make an appointment.

The pandemic has “really affected our message on the public safety side of our department and education…(and) definitely hindered what we do normally, on a day-to-day basis,” Cordell said, adding that their work with school children is what they may miss most, from reading with kindergartners and being mentors, to playing Dodge Ball or Duck, Duck, Goose with the younger students, he said. “Just seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces, we miss it,” Cordell said. Even the annual fire prevention campaign in the schools looked different in 2020. Instead of going into schools to talk about fire safety, the fire department had to deliver packets of information instead. Cordell said teachers got instructions on how to go over the materials provided.

Fire safety and prevention are priorities for Cordell and his staff, which has grown by 6 in the last year. The city budget allowed for 6 additional staff for the city fire department, which Cordell said came about after completion in 2020 of a study to assess needs. Those six additional hires allowed, for the first time ever, his department to fully staff two engines and a ladder company.

He is currently compiling budget information to present to the city manager and the city council that he hopes will result in progress toward the addition of a third fire station situated on the west side of the city. A third station “will give us better response time. We are providing great coverage throughout the city,” he said, but noted that there is “major growth” on the west side of Henderson. “When things start developing, you have to prepare for that in all aspects,” Cordell added, from sanitation to street maintenance to water and sewer and public safety, including, of course, fire departments.

The city fire department is staffed at sufficient levels during the pandemic, and Cordell said he has had his first dose of the vaccine. “We’re doing our very best to stay safe on calls and in the station,” he said. He encourages everyone in the community to be vaccinated, his fellow firefighters included. “Our job as first responders is to take care of the public,” he said.