MAXTON — The Maxton Board of Commissioners is hoping that reducing the speed on a stretch of N.C. 71 South will make it safer for motorists and residents.
The board unanimously voted Tuesday to lower the speed limit on the section of highway from Rockingham Road to town limits from 45 to 35 mph. Drivers now go marginally faster than the current posted speed, Town Manager Roosevelt Henegan Jr. said.
“This is one of our fastest developing areas,” he said.
There are a lot of residents in the area who struggle with entering and exiting their properties safely, Henegan said.
“This will, hopefully, lessen that risk,” Henegan said.
The board approving the reduction is the first step. The next is getting the speed limit signs changed.
Henegan said he will notify the N.C. Department of Transportation of the board’s decision, and the signs should be changed within the next few weeks.
The commissioners also addressed concerns regarding the Minit Shop convenience store on Middle Street. The store has been called a public nuisance for several years.
“They’ve had some shootings there,” Commissioner Paul McDowell said.
The latest violent incident was two weeks ago and involved a clerk hitting a man with baseball bat, said John Ruppe, Maxton’s police chief.
The chief said he has compiled a 4-inch-thick file of past complaints and altercations at the store and will be presenting it to the State Bureau of Investigation and the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement.
Also on Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners approved an economic development plan. The state Department of Commerce and the town’s Economic Development Committee collaborated on assessing the town’s needs and on generating a plan to facilitate growth.
Mark Zeigler, of the state Commerce Department, told board members the plan has a number of recommendations, including updating the town’s website, policy enforcement, developing marketing plans, holding more festivals, creating incentives to lure businesses and updating infrastructure.
Zeigler said the next step will be forming a Plan of Action Board to implement the recommendations.
The board also read through a proposed Mitigation Flood Ordinance for the county that will be essential for residents who want to get flood insurance. The proposed ordinance also includes entering into an agreement with the county that allows the county to enforce the ordinance on behalf of the town as needed.
“It’s really important to have this to reduce risk and allow residents to be eligible for flood insurance,” said Amber Davis, county Zoning and Planning specialist.
The board will hold a public hearing during its November meeting before voting on the matter.
The board also accepted its first contribution from the town’s ABC board in nearly a decade. The ABC Board’s director, Larry Graham, presented a $6,500 check.
“Hopefully you can use it for funds for recreation and other notable projects,” Graham said.
Commissioner Elizabeth Gilmore brought up concerns about seeing school-aged children throughout the town during school hours.
“Are there still truancy laws here?” Gilmore said.
“Most of those kids are suspended,” McDowell said.
McDowell and Mayor Emmett Morton noted that the town has an ordinance preventing students from entering public stores during school hours without a guardian or adult.
