2026-10-13 - Mayor's Town Hall Meeting

00:27I

00:29what do we talk about? Only questions

00:32I've asked is

00:35>> okay

00:37>> we've been talking about the beachfest.

00:39Uh

00:41well, not necessarily the Beachfest, but

00:43the cruise in and

00:47how you know it was pretty good, pretty

00:50successful.

00:52Everybody enjoyed it.

00:55We only had one complaint,

00:59a noise ordinance complaint.

01:04Seriously, we did.

01:09Well, it didn't it came in as anonymous,

01:13right?

01:16>> Yeah, it came in as anonymous. You know,

01:18music stopped at 9:00. We don't have a

01:21noise ordinance is 11:00.

01:25So, but

01:29>> yeah,

01:30but uh

01:34>> what we're trying to do, well, I'm not

01:37trying to do. I'm hoping the uh JC's

01:41they'll be in full swing by next year

01:44and that'd be a good project for them to

01:46do as a beachfest.

01:49Um,

01:51I I'm suggesting that and because

01:54they've they've watched Roxboro, JC's do

01:57it and kind of get ideas. um your bands

02:02if you get three bands like the

02:05Catalinas, the Embers, and and a lot of

02:09people unless you're down on the

02:12coastline that uh John Quick,

02:15he is probably the top headliner right

02:17now in uh beach music and he's got the

02:22big draw right now.

02:25But your bands are going to run

02:27somewhere between in the summer probably

02:31somewhere between four and $6,000 a band

02:34to do that.

02:38>> Um

02:41>> th this one was this one was 3500.

02:47>> Can't be heard on live stream.

02:51>> Um

02:53I had a question. Um, what are some

02:56suggestions that we would do to end rule

03:00fest other than fireworks?

03:07>> End firework no ask that how do we end

03:12rule fest without doing fireworks?

03:15>> Yeah. How I mean just some suggestions

03:17of some things that we could possibly do

03:20without doing fireworks at the end of

03:22rule fest.

03:25stop it at the end of the ban

03:30and it's been talked about. I know it's

03:32budgeted for fireworks, but it's come up

03:37several times. Is it necessary to do

03:39fireworks that close together in May and

03:43then again July 4th? That is a fairly

03:47expensive

03:49display.

03:51>> July 4th. Well, it's July 2nd, 3rd. If

03:55you do it on the 4th, it's double the

03:57price. You go from 15 to 32,000.

04:00If we if we had done it if we were doing

04:04it on the fourth, it would be a little

04:06bit over double.

04:11>> Mhm.

04:13And that's why

04:16I think the third it drops down some,

04:20but the second you you're just about

04:22half price

04:26and

04:29and this year I or next year I think the

04:32second is on a Friday, correct?

04:39You're going to look

04:42which will work good

04:46>> second.

04:48>> So that works good. And a couple of

04:50things you look at that too. If you do

04:52it on a if you did it on a Saturday,

04:54that means you're going to have to have

04:56staff and all out working, you know, on

04:59a Friday, then, you know, it's at the

05:02end of the week. Plus, you know, staff

05:04gets to take a Fourth of July weekend

05:07without having to work, too. So, anytime

05:11we run those things,

05:14if you're doing on a holiday, it's uh

05:18creating extra time.

05:21And you normally between public works

05:24here, you've got

05:26what 10 people is having to work,

05:32not counting some of your firemen,

05:34part-time firemen. So it takes a pretty

05:36good group to

05:39run those things.

05:43But I think I mean I'm suggestions on

05:47the rule fest.

05:49Mine would say, you know, I would say

05:51end it with a good band.

05:54>> More than one band.

05:56>> Well, we had two there last year. We

05:58have one in the afternoon and one at

06:00night

06:02and we have one on Friday night, the

06:04night before. So, you got actually have

06:06three bands that weekend.

06:15But if you had you had two strong bands,

06:18you could you could probably do it

06:20without fireworks

06:23and still well, you'll probably draw a

06:26bigger crowd if you got the bigger bands

06:32cuz we had

06:36There's crowd here.

06:45two weeks.

06:47>> Two weeks ago, right?

06:49Wasn't that she's not listening? Um,

06:54first weekend in October. So, yes, it

06:57was u

07:01and actually we thought that we were

07:04kind of not sweating it, but we didn't

07:06feel because there's a lot of things

07:08that go on that weekend. I mean, we had,

07:11you know, the Kings Hot Dogs, Pilot

07:13Mountain had something going on. So,

07:16you're But at that time of the year,

07:17you're going to compete with everybody.

07:19Um, and also,

07:22um, the fair had just started.

07:26So, to get the crowd we had with the

07:28fair starting and two other events going

07:32on, that tells you that people want to

07:34come out and see things around here.

07:38>> Yeah. understand.

07:43>> Not at the end, that's for sure.

07:50>> Yeah.

07:54>> Yeah.

08:01>> What? Rule Fest or the

08:05>> Oh, that's

08:08fest was in May, too. It wasn't that hot

08:10either. We did change it from July.

08:13Yeah. May

08:1526.

08:30Yeah, it

08:32and that

08:35that would be some, you know, that was

08:38tried for a few years and I think now it

08:43would probably do a little better

08:45because we would promote it a little

08:47differently. A lot of it's how you'd

08:49promote it. I mean, you got to you got

08:53to let people know what's going on. And

08:57I know that they tried movie nights back

09:00several years ago and it they just

09:04wasn't many people out there.

09:07But that doesn't mean it won't work. It

09:09just means you got to look at a way to

09:11get get the kids out there and

09:13>> and it

09:16>> well you know we were coming out of co

09:19>> yeah movies was good at COVID time

09:23>> um because that's really the only time

09:25they could get out

09:27>> but then um after CO it kind of it was

09:30like oh well we can do other things now

09:32because we're not locked down so it kind

09:35of died off but I think it would

09:37depending on the movie and the time I

09:39think it would be a receptive

09:41>> event.

09:46>> And the long-term vision, well, it's not

09:48that long term, but this out this area

09:51out here in front of the U town hall is

09:55the be perfect place to put on events. U

10:00>> no, right out here. Right out here. You

10:03know why? because people drive by and

10:06see it

10:07and people stop and it's it's much

10:11easier to promote and that's why that um

10:16we're looking at you know putting an

10:18amphitheater out there where it'll be

10:22the stage will be there all the time. I

10:24don't know if you've been to um

10:26Tobaccoville's got one. Um there mount

10:30area. It's a permanent stage.

10:34Once you do that, then you haven't It

10:38makes everything simpler. If you want to

10:40set up something, it's there. You don't

10:42have to go out and try to rent

10:44something. I didn't realize we were up

10:47to $3,500 for a stage. So, if you're

10:54So if you're up to $3,500, it doesn't

10:57you don't want to spend a you know

10:59that's that's price of a good band. So

11:03um I think u this outfront was back in

11:08the plans 15 18 years ago. There was

11:11plans drawn up to do something out there

11:14and it just never got done. you know,

11:17it's it's like everything else, finding

11:19the money to do it. And u

11:27but um actually we're working with

11:31architect right now uh on drawing up the

11:34plans for it.

11:37But the gra

11:39it would be done that would be probably

11:42be done in phases also. You'd probably

11:45do the stage and the facilities, you

11:48know, bathroom facilities and all that

11:51uh at one time and then leave the grassy

11:55area, but just slope it to where

11:57everything was level out there or a

12:00little bit kind of going in at a grade

12:03towards the stage. And then, you know,

12:06if later on, uh, I think the first plans

12:10they drew up to show us it had sidewalks

12:13and where you could walk around and

12:16a cazbo out in there. Well, it's it's

12:20pretty, but if you stand out here,

12:24I bet you don't see 10 people walking

12:26the sidewalks out here. So, putting

12:28sidewalks in there is not probably going

12:31to be used. It would just be pretty. So,

12:34um, but I you leave it open, you got

12:39more room for car shows and doing that

12:42kind of stuff.

12:45Anybody?

12:50We're having a good conversation up

12:51here. Y'all join in.

12:55Collins, you want to talk?

12:58>> Okay.

13:01But um

13:05if we've found out in the last three

13:08years if it's there people will come.

13:11I mean Rulefest has been a success every

13:14everything. We've we've we do a cruise

13:17in in the spring, a cruise in in the

13:19fall. Both times is full. Um

13:24now we just need to add some more. And

13:27other towns have figured that out. Pilot

13:30Mountain, Mount Ary, Lewisville. I mean,

13:33Lewisville has probably two events every

13:35month going on over there. U and they

13:39draw big crowds. And when I say crowds,

13:42it's the community coming in because

13:44they want to be involved.

13:46So, and we found

13:50I would say, what do we got coming up?

13:53Um, trunk or treat. It'll probably be a

13:57big turnout for that.

14:00It's turned into a pretty good size

14:10organiz.

14:24>> Oh, real.

14:28Yeah.

14:31>> Now, is the churches promoting their

14:33own? Has anybody looked at maybe

14:36promoting it? All of them promoting

14:39together?

14:40>> I'm not sure whether witness

14:44of the churches. I mean, we have stuff

14:46out of our own, but I've seen in their

14:48yard they have signs or banners. So, I'm

14:52sure the churches have themselves, but

14:54I'm not sure.

14:57Okay.

15:02>> That's what we're talking about. We do

15:04it at

15:04>> R.

15:07Norally we have um public works will

15:10give out s'mores and they can do their

15:12own little

15:18dirty

15:19and just like

15:42on the 24th.

15:44The 24th is our street

15:53will be closed on

16:12And that's probably pretty much it until

16:15Christmas.

16:36and that's moved over to the fire

16:38station now, not out here.

16:46>> Not that I don't

16:50put that plug in.

16:53So you got the Christmas tree lighting

16:55on the third and then the parade on the

16:59luminary on the 12th.

17:05>> December is pretty busy.

17:16>> I'm aware of

17:19heard of it.

17:22John Brown started serving chicken stew

17:25yesterday. They did

17:27>> or what is today? Tuesday. They started

17:30today.

17:33If anybody wants chicken stew, John

17:35Brown's got it advertising for them.

17:37They ought to give us a little donation

17:41to our um community center or whatever.

17:45So,

17:46>> but uh

17:51>> all right.

17:58>> Do what now?

17:58>> I was trying to find

18:00the actual

18:05>> and we'll have to get that for

18:09>> Christmas tree lighting, right?

18:15All right.

18:18>> We normally have one for the Christmas

18:20tree lighting because the kids from Ro

18:23Hall come and sing and do carolling and

18:26all that stuff. So

18:30>> yeah,

18:32>> at the back

18:40>> and see the great thing about having it

18:42at the fire station, too, is if the

18:45weather was bad,

18:48we could move inside.

18:51Now the tree is going to be out but the

18:53program itself

18:55uh go inside

18:58because we know uh from the dedication

19:01we can get over 400 people inside that

19:04bay area.

19:07So,

19:08>> it was cold.

19:10>> It was chilly

19:11>> Christmas,

19:11>> but it's it was Christmas.

19:15>> And actually, um, Santa was inside

19:19>> the fire station. So, Santa, you know,

19:22was set up inside. use the old

19:26>> truck

19:27>> truck as a backdrop.

19:32>> So that's pretty much things that's

19:35going on the positive things.

19:46Yeah.

19:50>> Yeah. I mean, you're welcome to bring

19:52some or you're welcome to come out with

19:56a little tent, but it's up to you. We

19:58have brought some candy,

20:01but if you want to donate candy, that's

20:04perfect.

20:09$800.

20:11>> Okay.

20:13>> All right. So, it's not real bad.

20:20>> Okay.

20:26>> No,

20:28>> that's a little too big for over there.

20:31City stage is a little smaller.

20:35I mean, we probably could get it if we

20:38wanted to.

20:40It's just kind of hard maneuver in

20:43there.

20:44All right.

20:47>> Okay.

20:49>> Do you mind using the mic so that we can

20:51go live?

20:54>> Not been able to hear a whole lot of the

20:56participants.

21:00I'm I'm just curious about, you know,

21:03the expenditures that we have,

21:06>> okay,

21:06>> for all of the events,

21:08>> okay,

21:08>> for the year. How much does that cost?

21:11>> Less than a penny on the tax rate. A

21:15penny penny is the magic number. 70,000.

21:18So

21:19>> So we spend $70,000.

21:21>> Probably somewhere between, I think, and

21:24I don't have the budget in front of me.

21:26is probably 55 or so is what we had in

21:29there. 55 to 60

21:32>> that comes out to be on a three and I

21:37you probably wonder why I'm thinking of

21:38this. These are kind of things that I

21:40think people will ask. on a $350,000

21:45valued home. That's costing uh the

21:48homeowner about $40

21:52of their tax dollars is you out of their

21:54total tax bill is going towards events.

21:58So that's $40 for all the events we put

22:01on. It's probably for the taxpayers,

22:04it's about $40.

22:06>> Okay.

22:07>> Yeah. And that's based on a $350,000

22:10valued home or property,

22:14but our our events is about uh it's less

22:18than a penny of the tax rate,

22:21>> right?

22:23>> Do we make anything during these events

22:26to help offset that?

22:29>> No.

22:29>> Nothing. We give everything is free here

22:32except now I would suggest

22:36uh if the J well if the JC's takes on

22:38stuff obviously they're going uh when

22:41they do it they're trying to raise money

22:43for different uh funds uh whether it be

22:46the boys and girls home or Duke Cancer

22:49Center or something like that because

22:51that's their priority projects but they

22:53would probably char want to charge for

22:55events so that they can make some money

22:59to do their donations and stuff and it

23:02would most of that would all go back to

23:05some charity

23:07and and a lot of it would stay here. I

23:10would their community organization. I'm

23:13not running that anymore. Uh but I they

23:17would be a big part of the community.

23:20Uh but I do know they have uh North

23:23Carolina Boys and Girls Home at Lake

23:25Walk and Duke Cancer Center has our name

23:29on it, the comprehensive cancer center

23:32uh room and uh the burn center unit at

23:37UNC is North Carolina JC burn center.

23:41So, uh, those are funds that they try to

23:46raise funds for the priority projects,

23:48but then they do a lot for the

23:50community. But if they did a beachfest

23:54and Roxboro JC's did, that's what uh,

23:58when I was talking about a beachfest and

24:00you had three bands, they charged for

24:02that uh, that beachfest. And I think

24:05they raise somewhere between 30 and

24:07$40,000 every year.

24:11uh bringing people in.

24:12>> Do you think that we can afford to you

24:14know with the economy and everything

24:17that is going on

24:19>> um you know and to project you know what

24:23we're going to need you know for the

24:25town you know costs there. I know in

24:28that last meeting you mentioned

24:30something about you know things we we

24:33might need um you know our services

24:38you know as far as that services going

24:40up or costing more money. Do do we see

24:43that happening or you know

24:45>> we're what right now? Yes. Well the

24:49biggest thing is gas. How much longer

24:51before gas comes back down? That's that

24:54could be a big issue. Uh right. Uh I

24:56think Homer mentioned last night we're

24:58still under budget this year, so it

25:01hasn't really affected us yet. Um don't

25:05see it probably being a big effect uh on

25:09us this year, but it's obviously

25:11something you got to look at and see

25:13which way the economy, this is an

25:15election year, and a lot can change

25:17during election years, which way it

25:20goes. And um uh so yes, we got to watch

25:25it. Uh you know, and it's what I've

25:30said, you know, everybody's paying more

25:32for taxes. That's no doubt about it.

25:34Everybody's uh the counties went up on

25:37with the property values and all that,

25:39but right now we're one of the lowest

25:43municipalities in Force County as far as

25:46tax rate at 28 cents.

25:48>> Right. Um, so we're right at re almost

25:52revenue neutral. We were 1.3 cents over

25:56revenue neutral. Uh, which

25:58>> and the money, you know, the money that

26:00we had that you mentioned um you know

26:03like a um a million dollars was going to

26:06go into the fund

26:08>> um for um the community center.

26:12>> Correct.

26:12>> Okay. And then there's four other four

26:15million more. 4.1

26:17>> 4.1. So this money here we have

26:20accumulated. Is that correct?

26:21[clears throat]

26:22>> That's that's correct.

26:23>> Okay. What do we physically owe that we

26:27need to pay for? You know,

26:29>> 1.3 million.

26:31>> 1.3 million is [clears throat] what we

26:33owe for the fire department.

26:34>> Is that right? That's it.

26:35>> Okay. So then we have a surplus right

26:38now

26:38>> in money.

26:40>> So that's a good thing,

26:41>> right? Right. I mean, Rean, we're u

26:45uh we're probably the envy of a lot of

26:48municipalities right now because a lot

26:50of municipalities, I don't know if

26:52you're familiar with Rhonda, they just

26:54uh they're getting they're being

26:56dissolved because they can't pay their

26:58bills.

26:59>> I heard something about that. Yeah. Um,

27:01so, uh, there's a lot of municipalities

27:04that's got themselves in some financial

27:06trouble, not just not bringing in enough

27:10money, but because of fraud and

27:12everything else.

27:13>> But, uh, right now we're and

27:18we got to, uh, a lot of this money has

27:21come in from grants and through

27:23legislative uh, uh, is how we've gotten

27:27to build. Do we have to do anything for

27:30that money? Is there something else? You

27:32know, like,

27:33>> okay, you got this grant money.

27:35>> It's in the bank.

27:37>> All right. It's in the bank.

27:38>> Correct.

27:38>> Hopefully drawing interest.

27:41>> Very good interest.

27:42>> Hopefully drawing about 5%.

27:44>> Well, it isn't drawing 5% because 5%

27:47would have been a risky mode. You You're

27:49about at 3.7

27:51right now, I believe. And that's that's

27:54a no risk because we can't have the

27:56money in any kind of risky stuff. I know

27:59tru truency right now you know that bank

28:02they have 5% right now

28:05>> on a CD you know but you know making

28:08money and and conserving you know I

28:12think that's that's really an important

28:14thing

28:14>> well and

28:15>> we have to look at you know

28:17>> and we we look at it I mean and and

28:20that's where and Homer can tell you I

28:23mean I don't have it all laid in front

28:24of me but that's some of the reports

28:26he's given and putting out that in the

28:29last three years what uh just on money

28:32earnings by putting investing has been

28:35over $400,000.

28:38>> Right. Do we have to pay any taxes on

28:40that?

28:40>> No.

28:41>> Okay. Well, that's a good thing. That's

28:42a wonderful thing right there. So, so

28:45yes, we're it's a lot went on in the

28:49last three years that didn't go on for

28:51used to being in uh we just pulled we

28:55just pulled all the CDs out of First

28:57Citizens and all that money is going to

28:59be invested is getting 2% or something.

29:02It'll get up here around 4%.

29:05Um just that million dollars uh we're

29:08projecting that that'll uh that money

29:10will grow about 354 $40,000 just sitting

29:14there uh uh funding that. So yes, the

29:18money is uh we've we've done a lot with

29:22the money in the last few years. I mean

29:25um

29:26>> and getting the grants we've got uh the

29:30>> but we don't have to do anything. Do we

29:32we have to do something with the grants?

29:34Do we well to spend money?

29:36>> The part F grant. Yes. The part grant we

29:40uh we got a $500,000 part F grant.

29:44That's the most you can get. That was

29:46the most you could get. Uh we were one

29:48of the few smaller man municipalities to

29:52get that grant. You and you know why we

29:54got it? Because you have to match it. A

29:56lot of municipalities can't match a half

29:58a million dollar grant. So, that one was

30:02a matching grant,

30:04>> but but that one um

30:08>> actually last night we saw it's going to

30:11be 50ome,000

30:14>> less that we're matching. Um but yes, if

30:18it's a matching grant, yes, we have to

30:20match it. That's the only matching grant

30:22we've got out right now. and that we're

30:25going to actually we're going uh we're

30:28spending a little more because I think

30:30it's going to be about 1.2 million that

30:33we're spending at the park. So, uh we'll

30:36spend about 600,000

30:39uh of the town money uh to match that

30:42grant plus 100.

30:47>> Yes.

30:49But u other than that, no. the the four

30:53uh the 3.8 million we got for the fire

30:56department, that was 3.8 million. The

30:59200,000 we got from the county, that was

31:01200,000. The 260ome,000

31:04we got for air tanks, those were just

31:07for air tanks. We had buy the all the

31:10air tanks, but no, there's no obligation

31:13for us to do anything else with the

31:16money.

31:18>> Well, that's a wonderful thing.

31:20>> That's good.

31:22I wondered about that. You know, it kind

31:24of made me wonder, especially when you

31:27said that, you know, you wondered about

31:31that, you know, the

31:34fact that, you know, the town services

31:37>> if we if things rise, my question was if

31:41things rise, what services

31:44would the candidates cut first?

31:48>> Right? And I think that's a great

31:50question. I think that's a great

31:51question.

31:52>> I'm a talented bunch. I'm a I'm a

31:54citizen. So, I wanted to know what they

31:56were going to cut for me. If they're

31:57going to cut my trash, then we're in

31:59trouble.

32:00>> Right.

32:00>> Yeah. You got to look if you look at the

32:03overall budget, there's, you know,

32:06depending on what you're trying like

32:08you'd say the events, uh, you're going

32:10to cut 55,000.

32:13>> Uh, if you were in a situation, uh,

32:16there's three thing. Um the things that

32:20cost the most is the fire department

32:23>> and the sheriff's department,

32:24>> right?

32:25>> Those your two main expenses.

32:27>> U your garbage. It's you cut out garbage

32:32that's still not going to cut out a lot

32:33of money. So uh you're but if you cut

32:37out garbage and you start cutting all

32:39that out, what's what's need to be a

32:41town?

32:42>> You're absolutely right. Those are

32:44services are something that

32:46>> Yeah. And that's

32:47>> if you're paying taxes, those services

32:50are a priority.

32:51>> Yeah.

32:52>> You know,

32:53>> that's why everybody likes Royal Hall

32:55because if you move over into Winston,

32:56you'll pay double the taxes and you

32:58don't get your leaves picked up and your

33:01limbs picked up and you you throw a

33:03mattress out there, you'll get fined

33:06because they don't pick them up but

33:07every six months. So, the services here

33:12is unreal. Uh and but even with that, if

33:18you started cutting stuff like that,

33:21somebody said, "Well, would you cut the

33:23uh bulk pickup?" And bulk pickup isn't

33:26going to be enough savings that if you

33:28need to really save a lot of money,

33:30that's not where you're going to save a

33:32lot of money, but but it would be a a

33:35disservice uh to the community to quit

33:38doing that. And uh but the main factors

33:43that drive uh our town uh and we're one

33:48of the few, you know, uh somebody would

33:50say, "Well, Clemens tax rates

33:51[clears throat] only 15 cent." Well,

33:53there's a couple reasons it's 15 cents.

33:56Their charter doesn't allow them to

33:58charge over 15 cents. And they're

34:00getting in in some issues about that.

34:03Plus, they don't have a municipal fire

34:06department. They if they had a fire

34:09department, their taxes would probably

34:11have to go up another 15 20 uh I'd say

34:15at least 15 cents. So they're going to

34:17be up as much as we are. Uh so a lot of

34:21these um uh you might know, Steve, how

34:25many uh how many fire departments are

34:28actually run by municipalities? It's

34:31Royal Hall and Carerville

34:37and King

34:40and see the rest of them are run they're

34:42independent they have their own board.

34:45They're getting their money straight

34:46from the county and and that's why we

34:49just uh you know it used to be a fire

34:52tax. Everybody should be saving some

34:54money on their tax bill because you're

34:56not going to be paying that fire tax um

34:59uh this year. But um the problem with

35:04some of these other uh departments where

35:06we I think we've got a heck of an

35:09advantage by having our own fire

35:11department municipality

35:14is like all these other ones. Um when

35:17they need equipment, they got to go

35:19through the county. They need an

35:21employee. They got to go through the

35:22county. They got to get all that

35:24approved. That's that new They pulled

35:26the fire tax and it's gone to I lost the

35:29word, whatever it's called now. But um

35:35we own all our equipment. We own all our

35:39equipment. So it's um

35:40>> and I think you know Mr. has done an

35:45exceptional job.

35:47>> Who's that?

35:48>> Jason. Jason. Don't Don't give Don't

35:51give him any more credit. No, Jason does

35:54a great job.

35:58>> Steve taught him everything he knows.

36:04>> Yeah.

36:09>> Oh, it's more than that. It was more

36:11than that.

36:15to be able to, you know, pull that off.

36:20>> I have a question from online someone

36:22just sent to me.

36:24>> I I'm not sure. I'm not even sure who

36:26this is.

36:30>> You don't know me.

36:32>> Um, so interested from Terry what he

36:36will call a success with the park

36:39transformation.

36:41as someone who goes there many times a

36:43week interested in what

36:46changes could be coming and what they

36:50see as a priority at the park.

36:54I haven't seen plans lately. I know they

36:57keep coming back and forth and we just

36:59keep going back and forth with them, but

37:03what kind of changes are we looking at

37:07with this phase?

37:14>> I haven't seen the final plan. Um, the

37:17biggest thing they're going to be doing

37:19is changing out all the playground

37:21equipment. The playground's going to be

37:24moved further up from where it's at. Uh,

37:27and there's going to be an I don't know

37:30it's if you call it an adult area, uh,

37:34but it's, uh, going to have a place

37:37where you can walk and stop and do

37:40workouts and that kind of thing. But

37:43playground equipment is the big thing.

37:45Um, waiting to see the rest of the plans

37:48come. they're finishing up and coming

37:50back to present that. Um, you know, it

37:54originally had a uh talked about a

37:57splash pad. Um,

38:00that was going to run into a how much

38:03room it was going to take, the upkeep it

38:05was going to be, and spending almost,

38:09you know, three to $400,000 to put it in

38:12for something that's used uh limited

38:16time for a year. Um,

38:20so to answer that question, I'm waiting

38:22for the final plans and to come back.

38:26>> I guess his question would be what you

38:29would call a success with a park

38:32transformation.

38:34What would you

38:37>> fill in the lake and extend the ball

38:40field out and have a minor league ball

38:42baseball team? No. [laughter]

38:46And you may laugh at that, but we did we

38:48were approached by a minor league team

38:50that wanted to know if we were in

38:54interested or had area up here we could

38:57have a ball field. But as you know that

38:59ball field is not big enough,

39:03but you could make it big enough if you

39:05filled in the lake and extended the ball

39:08field. But I don't think anybody would

39:10want to give up the pond or the lake

39:15right now.

39:18I think getting the new playground

39:20equipment and um

39:24the part that I've learned is how

39:26expensive that stuff is. We're getting

39:28ready to spend one 1.2 1.3 million

39:32somewhere in that range and you don't

39:34get a whole lot. Um long-term like to

39:39see a walkway all the way around the

39:42pond. Uh utilizing the property that was

39:46bought on the other side. Um

39:50extend the walkway where it walk. If it

39:52was really being decorated, you'd have a

39:55pier going across the lake. Uh you know,

39:58a walkway across the lake, too.

40:03Do we know what the mileage is around?

40:11>> I mean, not around the lake, but I mean,

40:13what what's the existing wall?

40:24>> 88.8

40:38Okay.

40:42What would uh any suggestions from any

40:45of y'all what you'd like to see at the

40:47park? I know this first phase is pretty

40:50much being drawn out, but there's going

40:52to be another phase

40:54as money comes available.

41:08Did she just say you were an older lady?

41:11I know I didn't hear that. But

41:16>> now

41:25the better it works.

41:28But the um

41:32>> and metal probably.

41:34>> Yep.

41:48>> I grew up in Mountain Elementary used to

41:51have one of those big big steep metal

41:54slides.

41:59Okay.

42:02>> Handicap handicap

42:05stuff would be really nice. At least a

42:08um and I want to say handicap. I don't

42:11know if that's the right word, but a

42:13team has a swing that you can roll

42:18like a wheelchair in.

42:22>> Is that right? Am I correct?

42:24Yeah, they have that now.

42:28>> It is the pink

42:32>> best playground in our area. Period. I

42:36was talking about the night. Not that we

42:39can go that big, but it it would be nice

42:41to have something that all kids.

42:45>> Have to ride up there and look.

42:48>> I think you're right.

42:50>> You said what?

42:52Right.

43:01>> Ask I think you came in because a

43:04question came up. Why do we not allow

43:07fishing over there?

43:10That's the same word I said.

43:13>> Trash and liability. The hooks and stuff

43:15being laying around.

43:27What do you think? U Councilman Lane has

43:30throwed this out there a couple times.

43:32Uh like a fri or Saturday event, half a

43:36day event or something for kids to fish,

43:39supervised, catch and throw in.

43:49Okay.

43:52>> My my fear for that is if we allow it

43:54one time, what would happen over the

43:58over the weeks is as the kids come back.

44:01And I mean, that's just if that's not

44:03something we're going to allow ever to

44:05do, then my theory is allowing them to

44:07do it for a one time event. There's some

44:10that does it that's down there doing it

44:12now.

44:23>> Yeah. I mean and I've actually um

44:29I think it was one of the events. It

44:31might have been the business association

44:34lunchon. We were standing up there and

44:36there was two right down in front of us

44:39standing down there fishing.

44:44>> So, you know.

44:48All right. Does anybody else want to say

44:51anything? We've had good little chat

44:54here about catching turtles and

45:05We could go over it again.

45:12>> Yeah.

45:20All right. Well, if we don't have

45:22anything, I'm gonna cut this mic off

45:24anyway and

45:30down

45:41be heard. I noticed that on our

45:45new Bethnia Rohal Road that we on one

45:50side they already have the side the new

45:53sidewalks and they also have a bike

45:55trail. So, we do have a bike lane there

45:58on Bethanya Rohal Road and I'm not sure

46:01what where it would connect, but um but

46:05it's I'm glad to know that there is

46:08going to be one there on Bethany Roll

46:10Hall because that is a huge area to be

46:14ridden. I mean, it's a flat road and

46:17people really like to ride their bikes

46:19there.

46:20>> See, I think question is probably at the

46:22park. Uh the unfortunate thing is just

46:26not enough land there. Um you know it's

46:30kind of tight now in the phase two which

46:34is over here down at the end of Pine

46:37Street there. Uh I think some of that

46:40was talked about and u if they ever

46:44moved to that phase two which would

46:47be kind of a separate part of that but

46:50that would be down the road. I at at

46:53Covington Park. There's just not room to

46:56add a bike path and trails.

47:15green

47:17>> and it's been talked about uh the

47:20greenway being connected from Winston

47:23Salem but I don't know uh even where

47:27that's been you know they've got the

47:30greenways and some of those I think were

47:32on old rail

47:35where they disband And

47:39yeah,

47:41but I know when the rail uh this

47:43railroad, it ran all the way down

47:45through German and all that, but when it

47:49abandoned, all the land went back to the

47:52original property owners and um

47:58>> where was that?

47:59>> Down now number eight. all that when it

48:02ran,

48:03>> it went all back to the original

48:04property owners. Yes.

48:07>> Well, actually some of the some people

48:10thought they owned it. The other there

48:12was

48:14it got in a mess down through there.

48:16People owned some of that land that that

48:20actually the people that lived in the

48:22house thought they owned it and they

48:24didn't own it. And there was they were

48:27having to buy that back to even get

48:29their yard that went all the way over

48:31there. It was a mess down through there

48:33for a while.

48:35But I

48:37uh

48:44yeah, it did go all the way Cove, but it

48:47not you know there's another rail goes

48:49from Winston, but this one came by Brook

48:51Cove and connected over there somewhere.

48:58All right. Anybody else ask any

49:00questions? Do you see any more questions

49:02on

49:04your side?

49:06>> Okay.

49:14>> Oh, somebody mentioned about all the

49:17events that we need. So, they have some

49:20suggestions on events.

49:23>> Okay.

49:41Okay, I'm gonna cut this one off.

49:44>> Kids friendly events like touch a truck.

49:51Okay, so I'm going to just read it.

49:55This is a post from our from the live

49:59stream and it says Ruh Hall needs to

50:01hold kid-friendly events like touch a

50:04truck, get town trucks involved and

50:07reach out to local trucking companies,

50:10help the Marines do toys for tots and

50:15have drives

50:16have drive up toy donations. have

50:19monthly farmers market especially for

50:21the elderly at Roh Hall apartments who

50:24can't get out

50:27um

50:29to Sandy Ridge farmers market vendors

50:32vendors fairs

50:34rent space on the lawn for crafts

50:37vendors to hold homemade handmade

50:40products like fall festivals or winter

50:44festivals. Um, can food drives can food

50:47drives to help town residents who need

50:49assistance? Um,

50:53have them sign up for assist through the

50:56town hall

50:57and try to help this time of the year.

50:59There is so much Roll Hall can do to

51:03assist and make this town known for its

51:06faith

51:07in helping one another.

51:10um save the 15,000 in the second

51:12fireworks show and put it back to the

51:15town instead of worrying about

51:19>> center

51:26I just that was red sorry

51:29>> okay

51:33>> we I mean you know I just asked a

51:35question about the second fireworks that

51:37was just completely a question what

51:39people would like And I think maybe

51:44>> Okay.

51:46>> All right.

51:47That's it.