MAXTON — During a public forum at a regular meeting Tuesday, Geraldine McLaurin urged the Maxton town commissioners to start building a youth center.

“Please don’t let this opportunity pass,” said, who was on the Board of Commissioners when the grant funding for the center was approved in 2007.

The commissioners did move closer to breaking ground.

Warren Wooten of The Wooten Company, which is designing the building and site, said the exterior of the building had to be in place by May to comply with the requirements of the Community Development Block Grant. The board plans to approve the exterior in a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Architect Tom Trowbridge presented a draft of the blueprints to the board. Presently, the center is 3,300 square feet with four classrooms, a community room with seating for 35 people, offices, a kitchen and bathrooms. The estimated cost is $145 a square foot for the wood-framed building with a composite concrete shingled exterior.

Commissioners James McDougald and Emmett Morton expressed concern that a shingled exterior would not last as long as brick with a steel or wood frame. Trowbridge said the shingles would age as well as brick with proper maintenance. A wood-frame design was used to give local contractors a chance at building it, he said.

The commissioners asked if the classrooms could be separated by partitions to create a larger community room. Trowbridge said they could and that the current design was based on a needs assessment from the former police chief and town manager. Commissioner Vivian Brown-Morrison said it was time to re-gather information.

“What kind of programs are we going to put in there?” she said. “That should be part of the planning.”

Mayor Gladys Dean agreed.

“There’s no need to build a building that doesn’t meet the needs of the community,” she said.

For next week’s meeting, Trowbridge will prepare new estimates on the exterior material. The commissioners also voted to contract with The Wooten Company for the design of the center’s one-acre site.

After some confusion, the board also voted to finalize the closure of two railroad crossings on Brooklyn Street. Jason Field of Moffatt and Nichol Engineers told the board that CSX would pay the town $5,000 and pave a dirt portion of the street if the closure were approved. He said state officials were working to lower the number of train fatalities and some crossings would need to be closed or have signals installed.

In the first vote, the board split, with Victor Womack and Brown-Morrison voting in favor and McDougald, Morton and Ray Oxendine against. Following the vote, the board learned the closure had happened two years ago. They were voting to complete the project by allowing CSX to pave the road. Morton moved that the board reconsider the motion. In a second vote only Morton remained opposed.

Another motion by Morton failed to come up for a vote after no one would second it. The motion was to present certificates of appreciation to eight residents and rescue personnel. Womack had brought the matter before the board; he initially seconded it, then was told by Dean that he needed to recuse himself.

Womack said the eight people came to his aid after an equipment malfunction left him hanging upside down in a tree for more than four hours in December. Womack suffered an injury to his left leg that required surgery.

“They, along with God, saved my life,” Womack said of the volunteer rescue workers.

Oxendine and Morton objected to the idea because they felt it would set a precedent of giving awards for every rescue.

“No one on this board is different than any other person who needs assistance,” Morton said.

Brown-Morrison suggested a day or time of year to recognize the work of volunteers. Womack offered to pay for the appreciation plaques.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it. I don’t think it’s overkill,” Womack said. “... It’s not every day that a commissioner gets caught in a tree and almost dies.”

In other business, the board:

— Approved a conditional-use permit for a family care home at 515 N.C. 71 North.

— Appointed Diane Dixon and Thomas Zeigler to ABC board. Three people had applied for two seats on the four-member board.

— Approved an addition to the Maxton Museum. Members of the Maxton Historical Society had already secured funding and only sought permission to add about 240 square feet for offices, bathrooms and a gallery.

— Tabled a discussion about restricting traffic near R.B. Dean Elementary School.

— Approved a reception for residents to meet Vince Long, the recently hired town manager. The reception will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Freight Building.

— Requested that Long gather information about converting the Freight Building to a community center instead of selling it to a private owner.