<p>Ashburn</p>

Ashburn

<p>Henderson</p>

Henderson

<p>Burney</p>

Burney

RED SPRINGS — Commissioners here voted to give authority to the town’s manager and attorney to consider the purchase of the Red Springs Rescue Squad’s building if it is foreclosed on.

After a closed-door session, a unanimous decision was made to give Town Manager David Ashburn and Town Attorney Tim Smith the authority to look further into the matter related to possible foreclosure of the Rescue Squad’s building on West Fourth Avenue.

The motion made by Commissioner Duron Burney stated commissioners will support the decision made by Ashburn.

The town has been notified that foreclosure is possible and is making plans to take over the building to keep the Rescue Squad operational, Ashburn told The Robesonian after the meeting.

The town manager and Smith will work to get more information on the case and future procedures.

“I will be sure that each of you fully understands exactly the final product before we do it,” Ashburn told the commissioners.

Commissioners also unanimously approved moving forward with the process of having the section of Shannon Road, which intersects with Main Street, designated in honor of Bishop Kenneth Monroe.

The Rev. Sharon Mitchell, of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Red Springs, made the request Tuesday on behalf of her church and described Monroe as “an inspiration for many.”

Monroe was named senior bishop of the Board of Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church during the 51st Quadrennial Session General Conference in Atlanta.

“A road designation does not change the name of the road,” Mitchell said.

But, a sign in Monroe’s honor would be placed along the roadway once the process is finished. The commissioners’ approval was a preliminary step in Mitchell’s journey of submitting an application to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

In other business, commissioners were told that repairs and rehabilitation to the town’s sewer system began Tuesday.

“Richardson (Street) was the worst of the areas, so we’ve started on it,” Ashburn said.

The project is funded by a Community Development Block Grant of almost $2 million.

Commissioners also approved the observance of Halloween on Oct. 30 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Commissioner Caroline Sumpter made the motion and said she was approached by a member of First Baptist Church, who wanted to know when or if the town would observe the holiday so the church could follow suit and plan its Fall October Festival.

This past year, the town did not observe Halloween because of COVID-19 concerns.

“And we’ll revisit this when we have our October meeting to make sure we want to go forward as planned,” Mayor Ed Henderson said.

Commissioner Burney begged town residents to stop littering and spoke of how roadside trash can be a deterrent to someone considering moving to town.

“I’m gonna challenge the (police) chief and I’m gonna sit with him on this issue because we gotta do something,” he said.

Burney spoke of setting up enforcement hotspots in town to deter littering.

“That’s my pet peeve. Let’s clean this town please,” he said.

Ashburn said residents are putting trash out by the side of their roads.

“Put that trash in your can and it’ll be picked up,” Ashburn said.

He said a code enforcement officer is writing warning citations for littering.

Commissioner Sumpter asked residents to be mindful of school buses and to take proper safety precautions as it relates to COVID-19.

“Let’s just take care of each other,” she said.

Mayor Henderson also asked people at the meeting or watching virtually to consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine as county cases rise.

“Please tell your friends and family if they haven’t been vaccinated, now would be a good time to do so,” Henderson said.

Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at [email protected].