City buys land so Lumberton Fire Department has room to expand at Central Station

Apr. 29—LUMBERTON — The Lumberton Fire Department was given room to expand at its Central Station when City Council agreed to buy a nearby lot on Pine Street during a special meeting on Wednesday.

The lot at 708 Pine St., which borders Cedar and Seventh streets, was bought from First Baptist Church for $100,000. The land is diagonally across Cedar Street from the Central Station.

The lot is a little more than 1/2 acre in size, and currently is the site of a small, former bank office and a parking lot.

The land's tax value is $127,200, so the city feels the purchase came at a bargain price, City Attorney Holt Moore said. And, the lot is larger than other sites the city considered buying.

"We've had some fairly prolonged discussions (with two other adjacent properties), but really got nowhere with those possibilities," Moore said.

Councilman Leroy Rising pointed out on Wednesday that the site requires less demolition than the other potential sites would have required, and the lot is more open.

Fire department vehicles will be able to enter the site using multiple entrances.

Money for the purchase will come from the General Fund, although because of an associated reimbursement agreement the city will ultimately repay itself through other various revenue streams, according to Moore.

Councilman John Cantey raised concerns about the city's ability to buy the land with General Fund money.

"A couple of meetings ago we talked about how the fund balance was, and it's down from where it was a couple of years ago," Cantey said. "I know it takes money to run the city, but with everything we've spent the last couple of months and are still spending ... are we on the road to recovery where we can do all these things?"

City Manager Wayne Horne responded by noting that several less urgent projects have been delayed to help with the fund balance, which is about 9.8%, remaining above the state-recommended mark of 5% to 6%. He also noted that, despite state officials anticipating sales tax would drop in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, it actually increased, with factors including stimulus payments and increased unemployment assistance giving families extra money to spend.

"We've tried to cut back on some capital unless it was an emergency purchase," Horne said. "I think you'll see the fund balance next year start to pick back up a little bit. It's just an opportune time to acquire this property."

Horne also noted about $1 million in relief funds related to hurricanes Matthew and Florence is still due to be reimbursed to the city, and additional stimulus money of about $5 million is expected in the "next few months."

Horne's answer appeared to ease Cantey's concerns. He made the motion to approve the purchase.

In other business, Council agreed to an engineering agreement with Thomas & Hutton for the I-74/I-95 Industrial Park.

Council selected Thomas & Hutton for the project this past week based on their qualifications. Because no fees could be considered in the selection process, the contract itself could not be presented to Council until after they selected the company, which took place during this past week's special meeting.

The city will be responsible for about $600,000 in fees as part of the agreement, to cover costs related to surveying, engineering and construction management. Those fees, which are in line with earlier project estimates, will be paid for using infrastructure grant funds.

Council also approved a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan for the Public Works Department.

This plan goes beyond the normal five-year plan the department typically develops for in-house funding of projects, Public Works Director Rob Armstrong said. A 10-year plan was necessary for the city to receive additional "points" on its current North Carolina Clean Water State Revolving Fund Sewer Rehab Project Grant application.

A 10-year plan was adopted about two years ago. Wednesday's approved motion was to adopt an updated plan.

Public Works also plans to relocate three wells out of the flood plain, and an agreement with The Wooten Company was approved for that project.

The wells are along the levee system near the water plant in West Lumberton, and will most likely be relocated to the other side of the Lumber River, which is not in the flood plain, Armstrong said. The new wells will be located on city-owned land, though the exact locations have yet to be determined.

The project will be funded with $2.1 million in grants from the state's Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act and the American Institute of Architects. The Wooten Company was selected because they performed much of the background work in applying for those grants.

The motion included approval of a $20,000 professional services agreement with The Wooten Company for an engineering report on the project.

Council also approved the allocation of $800 in Community Revitalization Funds to a Community Day for COVID-19 testing and vaccinations to take place at the Robeson County Fairgrounds, and $379.86 to reimburse expenses for an Easter event in Northeast Lumberton.