MAXTON — Two commissioners were installed and a resolution for construction work at the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport was passed during the Maxton Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
Victor Womack and incumbent Virgil Hutchinson were sworn in. Hutchinson was also re-elected as mayor pro tem. Mayor Emmett Morton administered the oath of office to Hutchinson. Town Clerk Jacqueline Johnson did so for Womack.
The board agreed to pass the airport resolution concerning three easements totalling $85,535 that would be applied to the construction of a natural gas pipeline at the airport by Piedmont Natural Gas Co. The resolution has been adopted by Laurinburg City Council,
“These are construction easements so they can get up and down the pipeline they are working on,” Morton said.
The agreement includes three tracts, with the first being a temporary access easement valued at $4,500.
The second tract involves a permanent easement on .392 acres and a temporary easement on .22 acres, along with damages, and is valued at $12,985.
The third tract includes a permanent easement on 5.44 acres, temporary easement on 5.05 acres, and soil restoration for 10.498 acres, valued at $68,050.
In other business, the board:
— Noted the success of Maxton’s Christmas parade and senior citizens’ dinner. Morton complimented organizers and volunteers for the success of both events.
“We had a great Christmas parade, and our volunteers and our Christmas parade staff did a great job,” Morton said. “The rain messed it a little bit, but we can’t control the weather. I apologize I didn’t get to attend (the senior citizens’ dinner), but I understand the committee did a great job with that also. I want to commend them for putting on another great dinner.”
— Heard a complaint from Maxton resident Willis Sullivan about the city’s sidewalks. Sullivan commended city workers for working to make the sidewalks safer, but he voiced his displeasure with spray-painted markings left by utility workers.
“It seems like every month or so, we’ve got a fresh batch of iridescent orange paint on our sidewalks,” Sullivan said. “It seems to me that they could use a little less, and maybe use something that wasn’t quite so persistent.”
— Tabled discussion of a proposal by Mark Zeigler, community economic development planner for the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Zeigler proposed an economic development strategic plan for Maxton.
— Was updated by Town Manager Kate Bordeaux on projects relating to the town’s water supply. Bordeaux said an insert valve is set to be installed in the town’s water infrastructure, and proposals for more are in progress.
“It’s a big, ugly thing, but when we have people tie into the system, it prevents any water loss,” Bordeaux said. “It also helps with water pressure.”
