No more free parking

There’s no more free parking – at least for parents who park along Webb Boulevard in front of Havelock High School to pick up their children after school.

New no parking signs will be erected along the road in front of the school, meaning parents could receive tickets for parking along the street.

In a 3-1 vote Monday night, Havelock commissioners approved the new signs.

Signs against parking had been previously posted in front of the school but were deemed nonconforming, thus Havelock police could not enforce the regulations. Those signs have since been removed.

School officials and the city’s traffic committee expressed concerns about students walking across the street – often busy during school dismissal – to be picked up. They feared a student could be struck by a car either leaving or being dropped off for school.

Traffic often backs up from the school parking lot into the street, especially in the afternoons when parents are picking up students. Some parents decide to park across the street, and students cross the road to be picked up.

“The school has come to us and said they have a problem,” Mayor Jimmy Sanders said. “The traffic committee seems to concur. If we’re going to keep kids from crossing traffic, I think that would be a good thing.”

Parking will be restricted on both sides of Webb Boulevard in front of the school.

Commissioners Bob Priesing, Danny Walsh and Will Lewis voted for the measure. George Liner opposed the measure, saying it was the responsibility of parents to make sure they were not putting their children in danger.

“It’s only been an issue in the last five years,” he said.

Walsh said the signs added a measure of safety.

“I think this is a good idea, and it lets us off the hook if anything happens,” Walsh said.

Commissioner Jim Stuart had eye surgery and was absent from the meeting.

Signs will be erected every 80 to 85 feet along the 865 feet of Webb Boulevard in front of the school. They will prohibit standing, stopping and parking between 7 and 8:30 a.m. and between 2 and 3 p.m.

An additional sign will be placed near the corner of Webb Boulevard and Methodist Drive that restricts parking near the corner of the intersection.

City Planner Scott Chase said Craven County has agreed to pay the estimated $2,829 for the 23 signs to be erected.

“That was a step in the right direction, Craven County stepping up and taking responsibility,” Chase said.

The signs will be put up when they arrive from the county, but an exact date is uncertain.

In other business Monday night, the board:

- decided to wait until its Nov. 24 to vote on a proposed revision of water and sewer master meter fees. The fees would affect multi-unit structures. Staff has recommended an increase in water master meter fees from $1,075 to $1,345, and an increase in sewer master meter fees from $1,075 to $2, 715.

- voted to authorize city manager Jim Freeman to go forward with a contract for $161,813 with Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects to complete plans for a $1.8 million project to renovate the city hall complex.

Dave Harvell, assistant city manager, said the first phase of the work, the customer service portion of the project, is nearing completion. In the near future, all water and sewer billing will be located in the building once occupied by the planning and inspections department. The one-stop customer service area will be finished by mid-November. Most of the work has been completed by in-house labor. Harvell mentioned the enormous savings to the city as a result of a donation of office equipment by Jerry Jackson. The equipment had been previously used at the former Navy Federal Credit Union in Havelock.

The entire renovation and restoration project includes shoring up the foundation of the half-century old original town hall, placement of new offices where the current commissioners meeting area is, restoration of the former Senior Center and construction of a new commissioners meeting room and district court room adjacent to the former Senior Center. A U.S. Department of Agriculture loan is financing the project.

- authorized Freeman to go forward with a contract for $725,000 to purchase a new Emergency Medical Services truck and a ladder truck. Both trucks will be housed at the new Tucker Creek fire station once it is completed.

- welcomed the appointment of city GIS analyst Chad Ives as interim director of the Information Technology Department following the Oct. 1 resignation of Todd Hughes.

- agreed with Freeman on the city’s refusal to allow rental of its $17,000 outdoor movie system. “I think the right thing to do is protect the city’s investment,” Sanders said.