Roseboro board drills down well specifics

ROSEBORO — Two projects are the focus for Roseboro — statewide zoning changes and the upcoming new well.

At the previous meeting, the town board voted unanimously to approve the contract with Wooten Company for their U.S. Department of Agriculture engineering services. The Wooten Company will be working on the new well.

Roseboro Mayor Alice Butler said that they are going to see about doing a test well, as they didn’t want to start with full-blown construction on a site if it turns out to be inadequate.

Previously, the town requested that the contract be looked over by the town attorney, Sandy Sanderson. The board agreed to enter into the contract as long as Sanderson and Brian Johnson with the Wooten Company could come into agreement. The town attorney shared concerns about some contract language, but Johnson explained that the contract language was standard per the USDA requirements, and that some items had already been removed.

“The next step is a kickoff meeting with town staff to try to move the project forward,” said Johnson. “That would be in the next few weeks.”

One thing that Butler noted that the test well will push the process back by about four months. If that well is successful the next step is is surveying the area along Andrews Chapel Road for the well site itself.

The town will have to hire a well driller to drill that test well with a four-inch hole and drill down 400 feet.

“That’s just to confirm that everything that we think is there, is there, that water is actually there and it’s good quality,” Johnson stated.

Next would be construction documents for contractors, which would go to the state for permitting.

“Once all that is all in place and approved, then we can go for bids,” Johnson had said.

Previous estimates were that the process would take 18 months from start to finish, but now the added four months will push it closer to 22 months. The actual construction will take six months.

“Towns across North Carolina have to update their zoning subdivision ordinances,” said Tammy Faircloth, who handles Utilities and Zoning for the town.

“The main reason for this, which has been going on for a little over year now, is to update regulations to update the language and make it more readable and logical.”

The 160D amendment is a new chapter of the N.C. General Statues, and it consolidates current city and county statues in to a single, unified chapter. The 160D is effective now, but local governments have until July 1, 2021 to implement necessary amendments. Additionally cities and counties must have a land use plan in place by July 1, 2022.

“The main things that pertain to us is basically the language, and most of it is language. There are a few administrative provisions, enforcement of certain things,” Faircloth said.

Essentially this will merge everything from two place into the consolidated 160D. Faircloth said that over the years things have been “tacked on” to ordinances here and there, and that this will bring it together.

“Another thing that has changed is that we cannot stipulate what size of house goes where,” she said. “If somebody has a lot and wants to put a 10-by-20 house on it, we have to allow them to do that.”

Faircloth said that they do have to meet their setback requirements.

Additionally the process to get the roads reserved for the Christmas parade has been started with the Department of Transportation and that will be on Dec. 10. Butler said that has been basically four years since they have had a unhindered parade without rain or other issues.

The chicken ordinance was approved. The budget ordinance hearing will be 6 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at the town hall. The board updated their fee schedule as well.