by Blake Proctor
With Commissioner Jeff Smith AWOL, Mayor Darryl Dowless called the September 2nd meeting of the Dublin Board of Commissioners to order at 6pm. Following a brief invocation by the Mayor, the minutes of the August 5th meeting were approved.
The continuing question from that last meeting concerning the status of the crape myrtles along NC Highway 87 was put to rest by Public Works Director Jonathan Ward; asked by Mayor Dowless what their status was, Mr. Ward said, “None; they have all been removed.”
A second lingering difficulty concerning those pesky crape myrtles is at the building housing the Dublin post office. Since those are on private property, the Town has no authority to take them out, nor to even cut them back.
The Town will write a letter to the landlord informing him that he is in violation of Town Code as regards traffic sight hazards and will be put on notice that the problem needs to be corrected.
The issue of the proposed Zoning Map update was tabled because Jan Hester Maynor of the Lumber River Council of Governments was unable to attend.
Also raising its ugly head again was the long-term problem surrounding the dilapidated dwelling at 111 Armfield St. This house, although occupied, has had no water or sewer service for many months, the occupants have paid no rent, and the owner is years behind on property taxes.
It was learned at the meeting that the taxes have recently been paid; therefore, the Town cannot now foreclose on the property as had been planned. Among the most viable alternatives considered were partnering with the County’s Building Inspection Department and/or Health Department. This matter is ongoing.
The residents at 100 Summerlin St. have not faired well during the utility line replacements throughout town: First the contractor broke into their water service line, creating a large water bill; the contractor fixed that break, but in doing so, they cracked the PVC pipe at the cap, creating a new leak.
This was, of course, repaired again as soon as it was discovered; however, by then another $86.10 in water and associated sewer charges had flowed out of that serv ice line. The Board unanimously made the bill right, and will pursue reimbursement from the contractor.
Mayor Dowless read a letter from Chris Williams, Executive Director of the Bladen County Board of Elections, requesting that the Town waive the building rental fees for the three-day election period, November 1st through 3rd, which included the set-up day, election day, and break-down day.
This request was quickly granted.
In a last item of regular business, the Mayor reminded the Board that at its September 16, 2013, meeting, the then-sitting Commission adopted a resolution declaring that during the Dublin Peanut Festival, no entities other than the Festival Committee were authorized to sell boiled peanuts.
Asking for a legal opinion, the Mayor turned to Town Attorney Whitley Ward, who opined that this was probably unenforceable, as well as being inequitable. The Board voted unanimously to rescind the restrictions of that resolution.
When asked if she had anything else to bring before the Commission, she replied that she did not.
In his Public Works report, Director Ward advised that the sewer flowmeter to Elizabethtown was now reading properly. He said he had nothing else to bring before the Board.
With no other reports to be considered, the Mayor declared the meeting adjourned at 6:27 pm.
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