AYDEN — Officials at the August Board of Commissioners meeting heard about plans to revive the nonprofit Arts and Recreation Foundation of Ayden to provide grassroots support to the town’s recreation programs.
Paula Loftin, the organization’s president, told the board at its Aug. 12 meeting that a group has been working with town officials for a couple of months to reestablish the foundation as the fundraising arm of the Art and Recreation Department.
Loftin said 501(c)(3) nonprofit status will allow the group to tap funds the town cannot. Loftin said it will take time to establish the status with the IRS because the previous organization let it lapse.
“At this time, we’ve had key initiatives and progress made,” said Loftin. “We’ve reestablished the board of directors, which includes one representative of the mayor’s office or their designee, the town’s recreation director and 13 additional members; we’ve launched an awareness campaign with several initiatives that include the community, social media, community meetings and informational sessions.”
Loftin said the group is moving forward and would appreciate consideration and support from the town board. She said the group is not seeking money but for the commitment to support the effort.
Ayden Mayor Protem Raymond Langley presided over the meeting in the absence of Mayor Ivory Mewborn, who was attending an ElectriCities conference.
During the public comment period, resident Willie Smith came before commissioners with a request on behalf of South Ayden High School Alumni Association. The 1965 graduate said that South Ayden existed from 1931 until 1971, and in 1981 it was demolished.
“From my understanding South Ayden High School was the only high school in Pitt County that was torn down and not replaced with an existing building of notoriety,” said Smith. “We at the South Ayden High School Alumni Association request that the governing body of the town of Ayden consider a permanent marker to acknowledge that South Ayden High School existed during that time and era.”
Former Mayor Marvin “Bear” Baldree expressed displeasure about the removal of trees downtown. He said he was curious about how many people spoke in favor of removing the trees during a previous public hearing. Langley told him that the town manager would brief him on the reasons.
Fire Department member Barry Wood expressed concerns about a hole in the roadway at Winchester and Hines Drive. Wood said that after speaking to Town Manager Scott Howard about the issue, the only action taken was filling it up with rocks, which didn’t fix anything because, according to Wood, it’s starting to sink in again.
Wood also informed the board that grass at the department’s substation was in desperate need of mowing and spraying. He said they are down to three sets of lights in the bay, that there should be more lights for safety, and of the two exhaust fans in the bay, one has been down for two months.
“Trying to keep the heat down, and you only have one exhaust fan, it’s not looking too good, and we would like to see that taken care of as soon as possible,” said Wood.
Resident Steve Chappell requested the town implement a way to either livestream monthly board meetings or record and broadcast them within a 24-hour period for anyone who would like to see them.
Chappel has been streaming some meetings on the Ayden News Now Facebook page. He said other municipalities offer streaming to citizens.
“We’ve offered to facilitate that, and we’ve offered the town the equipment to do that,” said Chappell.
“I think the clerk would have a better record to transpose the minutes, and I think that any of you guys on the board that are unable to attend may use that as an opportunity to see it for yourselves,” said Chappell. “This evening Mr. Mayor Ivory Mewborn is at an ElectriCities conference, and he said he’d try to tune in on our live video.”
In other business, the board unanimously approved:
A zoning map amendment from East Domas Development to change the zoning for 22.77 acres of property at 4749 Ayden Golf Club Road from residential/agricultural and R-10 residential to R-12 residentialA special use permit requested by Sakina Daniels to construct two duplex buildings within the R-8 Residential Zoning District on 41 acres at 4234 Martin Luther King Jr. St. and owned by Central Debt and Mortgage ReductionTwo voluntary annexation petitions, one for Eagle Rock Concrete and the other for East Ridge Development Corporation.The creation of an ad hoc Collard Festival Ordinance Review CommitteeA resolution to award the Cannon Street Area Waterline Replacement contract and amend the capital project budget ordinanceA request by Ayden Police Department to utilize asset forfeiture funds to purchase equipment
The board also introduced the new Town Clerk Jeremy Crawford, who has stepped into this position after the departure of former Sarah Radcliff.
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