Lexington council discusses community development grants
On Monday, September 13, the Lexington City Council held the first of their bimonthly meetings. The meeting began with two proclamations: one for the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the other for Constitution Week. Saturday, September 11, marked the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on America in 2001. The council wanted to recognize the service of citizens and first responders to the unfolding damage in New York.
September 17 to September 23 commemorates the anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The Elizabeth Maxwell Steel Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will be presenting this proclamation to a fifth grade class in Lexington, along with bookmarks which have the Preamble to the Constitution written on them.
Next, three different NC Department of Commerce community development grants were discussed. The first was from July 2015 for Piedmont Candy to renovate their building. This project could not be officially completed until there was a public hearing, which the council allowed. The second was from August 2017 which helped Goose and the Monkey Brewhouse (GMBH) get started. This project is complete, so a public hearing was also required. GMBH was commended for their creation of 17 new jobs instead of the predicted 12. Finally, the council officially approved the submission of a grant request for Project Deacon by holding a public hearing and passing a resolution stating their support. Project Deacon is an indoor hemp growing factory that has an education and retail section. This was initially presented in March 2021, but another approval was necessary for an official submission of a grant request.
Lexington Police Department Chief Robby Rummage proposed an amendment to the vehicular traffic ordinance. On August 27, Dr. Anitra Wells, Lexington City Schools superintendent, spoke to Rummage about students crossing Greensboro Street by the tennis courts. She’s concerned about the high traffic area. She was hoping for crossing guards, but the police department couldn’t commit to the request. Instead, Rummage decided to ask for the addition of a four way stop along with warning signs. This was approved unanimously. Following the approval, Mayor Newell Clark commended Wells on her as well as other educators work on keeping students in school during the pandemic with mask mandates. She was met with a round of applause.
Additionally, there was a reminder of the cancellation of the Barbecue Festival due to staffing shortages and the increasing rates of COVID-19. City Manager Terra Greene gave an update on the new diversity, equity, and inclusion position. The search is ongoing but is hoping to have someone in the position soon.
The meeting ended with a closed session for over an hour where a variety of issues were discussed.
