By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer/Editor for Hire

Garry Daeke, a 13-year member of the Henderson City Council, recently spoke on air with WIZS to answer questions and provide listeners with City of Henderson updates.

Breckenridge Pavilion:

The proposed Breckenridge Pavilion, to be located near the Henderson Police Department, will serve as the last piece of the overall Breckenridge Commons project and as the corner piece of the block.

According to Daeke, the importance of the project has led the City to reexamine best practices to ensure a satisfactory final result.

“We had gotten some initial startup on the pavilion last year and we thought it would be going very quickly, but as we looked at it further, we decided that we really needed to do some landscaping on that lot,” said Daeke. “We decided that we need a landscape architect to give us a layout for the whole activity.”

While no date has been set for estimated completion, the City expects to receive the architect’s layout in the next few weeks.

“It will certainly cost a little more to complete, but we decided that we needed to do this right,” Daeke said.

Former Bank Building in Downtown Henderson:

Daeke said that while a few people have expressed interest in the vacant former bank building in the downtown area, none have been completely willing to follow the building covenants.

“The City really wants to maintain the façade; however, not everyone wanted to maintain the façade or keep the old architecture,” said Daeke.

Additional covenants include maintaining the lobby area of the building and maintaining and utilizing the vault in some way.

The building is currently for sale.

City of Henderson Tax Base:

The City’s tax base has remained stagnant over the past decade, especially in regards to residential growth.

“The tax base hasn’t grown at all like we’d like for it to grow, especially residential. We aren’t building many houses inside the City limits,” Daeke said.

Daeke also sees future potential issues with a stagnant tax base and the City budget. “We have to plan for reoccurring expenses,” said Daeke. “We gave raises [to City employees] last year and we love to be able to do that, but that’s a cost every year down the road. If you don’t have growth, where do you find the money?”

Fire Department:

According to Daeke, the City has known for years that there is a need to realign the two existing fire stations and add a third station.

“Some businesses have come in on both ends of town and wanted to be annexed,” Daeke said. “We did that, but it is a little problematic in that we then stretch our service base. The police and fire department have to respond farther out to the east and the west.”

Currently, a new fire engine is being custom built for the City to the tune of $560,000. The engine takes approximately one year to build and is on the City’s budget for the next fiscal year.

Daeke credits Fire Chief Steve Cordell and his men for doing a great job with the resources they have available, “Chief Cordell does an excellent job with the fire department. We’ve got some excellent young men working there. They are always training and are on spot every time they’re called. We are really proud of them.”

Other Miscellaneous Items:

• The recent inclement weather has delayed the demolition of the former Abagayle’s Books building, but the project is expected to be completed soon.
• The City is currently discussing a redevelopment plan. “We want to layout a redevelopment plan to highlight certain areas where we would like to see growth as well as open it up for investment in other areas,” said Daeke.
• Turnover in the fire departments and police departments is an ongoing concern. According to Daeke, it has become increasingly difficult for the City to compete with neighboring communities such as Wake Forest and their higher pay rates.
• Daeke commends new Henderson Downtown Development Director Kaine Riggan, “I think Kaine Riggan is doing a great job. He’s got a lot of experience and a lot of energy. He thinks outside of the box and I’m excited about all of the things he is going to pull together.”

Daeke will be back on the air with WIZS in the next three months to provide additional City of Henderson and Henderson City Council updates.