LUMBERTON — A 300-foot segment at the southern end of Cavalier Street near the Lumberton Municipal Airport will be closed after City Council approved the measure during its monthly meeting Monday at City Hall.

The road closure will be accomplished by closing a gate, which will prevent thru traffic from navigating the entire length of the street. Two businesses which reside on the south side of the gate, Ronnie’s Tint & Audio and Courier Express, will only be accessible from the other side, on David Street via Airport Boulevard, as the gate will create separation between that industrial area and the rest of the Cavalier Street, which is a residential area.

The gate has historically been closed, but was opened in recent months after business owner Ronnie Locklear went through the proper channels with the city to request opening the gate, he told Council during the public hearing.

Locklear said that GPS navigation takes his customers down Cavalier Street to reach his business, and with the gate closed they would have to U-turn to go around to Airport Boulevard and David Street. He also said that big trucks for commercial deliveries having to turn around due to a closed gate would be “more dangerous” than allowing them to come through.

But other nearby residents told Council that while opening the gate made it easier to reach Locklear’s business, it created bigger problems in the area.

“It might make it easier for him, but this is a community that has kids in it; that street’s been closed and we ain’t had no problems, as far as traffic coming in and out,” said Sharon Swett, a Cavalier Street resident. “(After it was open) the traffic got so bad, it was just like opening up (Interstate) 95. It’s terrible, and then we started having people coming in and out of that gate.”

“The few weeks (the gate) was opened, our community was virtually destroyed. Our peace was gone,” said Jan Maynor, another Cavalier Street resident. “We had people wandering in and out, all times during the night. … The culture of our community changed drastically just by the opening of that fence, so I would ask that you close that street again and establish that buffer that will separate the residential area from the industrial area.”

Airport Manager Gary Lewis stated that the building in which Locklear’s business resides was originally built as a hangar for the Lumberton Municipal Airport, which is “not a true public business,” and wouldn’t create much traffic in the surrounding area. The facility being used by other types of businesses is “why it’s become an issue,” he said.

Councilman Eric Chavis, in whose Precinct 7 Cavalier Street resides, made the motion to close the portion of the street. It was passed by a unanimous vote.

“Ever since I can remember that gate has been closed,” Chavis said. “Any type of business that took place beyond that fence always came down Airport Boulevard down to David Street, and I can fully understand the concerns of the citizens. … I think it’d be in the best interests we close this road off.”

Annexation approved for senior living facility

Council also approved a contagious annexation to bring two parcels of land on Dunn Road in West Lumberton into the city limits. A senior living multifamily complex is proposed to be built on the property.

Plans are for the complex to be built on both sides of Dunn Road, with 36 units planned on each side of the street, City Manager Wayne Horne told The Robesonian.

A rezoning was not required as both parcels are currently B-3, under which multifamily housing is one of the allowed uses.

A public hearing was held before the motion was approved, but only one person spoke, a resident who was simply seeking clarification on the project.

Council discusses possibility of televising meetings

Councilman John Cantey brought to the floor a discussion about meeting times for Council and whether the board’s meetings could be televised in the future.

Cantey stated that some residents have complained about the meeting time, both when formerly held at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays and since moving in 2023 to 6 p.m. on Sundays, saying no meeting time satisfies everyone.

He went on to note that when he joined the board in 2005, a recording of meetings was televised at a later time, allowing residents who could not attend meetings in person to still be informed on the issues discussed.

Horne stated that the software the city uses to organize and record its meetings is currently being phased out, and the new software that will be used will have the capability to televise meetings. That capability will be in place by approximately November, he said.

Cantey said that if meetings are televised it could potentially give Council more freedom to meet whenever they want to do so. Ultimately, no action was taken.

Other business

In other business, Council:

— Approved the installation of a four-way stop at the intersection of Hardin Road and Sprunt Avenue and a three-way stop at the intersection of 11th Street and Sprunt Avenue. Both intersections are in the Godwin Heights community.

— Authorized the Lumberton Police Department to apply for and accept the COPS Hiring Grant, which would fund salaries and benefits for two officers over a three-year period. The total cost will be $429,398, with the city set to cover the $179,398 not covered by grant funds with money available from lapsed salaries in the department.

— Awarded a contract for labor and equipment for electric utilities work related to the Fayetteville Road widening project. The contract was awarded to Carolina Power & Signalization at a cost of $543,293.65, of which 75% will be reimbursed by the state.

— Approved an engineering contract amendment for a flood mitigation project at Lift Station 21, located near Country Club Road. The lift station flooded during Hurricane Florence in 2018 and has been “on the list” to perform flood mitigation efforts, Public Works Director Rob Armstrong told Council; a design was completed by The Wooten Company in 2019, but the city didn’t have the money at that time to go forward with construction. A Southeast Crescent Regional Commission grant award of $440,000 will cover the original estimated cost and allow the city to move forward with construction, but administrative services will cost $55,000 more and will be paid from the city’s Water and Sewer Capital Reserve Fund.

— Appointed James Bass to serve on the Main Street Lumberton Advisory Board.

— Approved the following allocation of Community Revitalization Funds: $1,825 towards a Precinct 4 Fun Day; $1,500 to help build a handicap ramp at a home on Rowland Avenue; $1,000 to the Kiwanis Club of Robeson-Lumberton for its annual golf tournament fundraiser; $900 to the Robeson County Partnership for Children for its annual giving fundraiser; $525 to Community Watch in Precinct 7 for a Community Day; and $500 to McCormick Chapel Church for its Vacation Bible School and a back-to-school event.