Mayor's Report
September 7, 2017

Dr. Walter Parker: Dr. Parker (252-442-3169) has recently notified town officials that he has been in contact with Mr. Anthony Hucklebee, owner of Hucklebee Tree Service in Ahoskie (252-287-5894), to make arrangements to cut down the trees at the cemetery. Dr. Parker has asked that the Town of Woodland notify Ms. Hobbs that the tree service may need to pass through her property, in order to get to the trees. Dr. Parker was reminded that the Board has requested that the tree company contact the Town of Woodland, before commencing any work.

Sewer Overflow Violation Response: On August 15, 2017, a letter was submitted to the state, in response to the violation letter the town received dated 7/31/17, regarding the overflow of waste water which occurred on the dates of: 4/24/17, 4/25/17, 5/23/17, 5/24/17, 6/5/17, and 6/20/17. Mr. Lassiter, our newly appointed ORC, was an essential participant in the preparation of the letter. No response has been received from the state as of this date.

Report Water Utilities: As a result of these incidents and complaints from some of the town's citizens, Mr. Lassiter asked Mayor Manuel to prepare a statement explaining the progress of the town's new well and the efforts taken to repair the town's sewer system. The report has been completed and is available for review.

Playground Equipment and Recreation Funds
The Town Board voted to utilize money contained in a certificate of deposit account, which matured in July, to purchase soft material to place under and around the playground equipment. The playground equipment was given to the Town of Woodland last winter, by the Northampton County Board of Commissioners. The Town Board agreed to set aside over $7,900, to be utilized for the park and recreation purposes.

During the Town Board Meeting held on August 3, 2017, Ms. Lauren Morris, an associate of Health Matters, informed the Board Members that her agency will supply the soft materials for the playground equipment. Her agency has also agreed to purchase signs for the newly named Woodland Community Park, which will be placed on the three park features (the George Conrad Parker Baseball Field, the Brenda Hewitt Water Feature and the William Dean Remmes Picnic Pavilion). Additionally, Ms. Morris and her agency has agreed to purchase a large sign, which will be placed on Main Street, indicating the location of the park.

A date has been set for Saturday, September 9, 2017, to install the equipment. As of this date, 15 individuals have made a commitment to come and volunteer their time on that day. Everyone has been told that they will not be paid for their work and that they will be participating at their own risk. Water, snacks and lunch will be provided to all of the volunteers that come out to work.

The Board is respectfully requested to allow our two Public Works Employees, Mr. Perry Lee Collier and Ms. Jessica Griffey to work on that Saturday, in order to assist us and to also transport the playground equipment from the Town Shop to the Community Park.

During a recent conversation, Ms. Morris reported that she has spoken to Mr. Bill Ellis, a state certified installer of playground equipment, who has expressed an interest to travel from Kinston to Woodland, to assist in the installation of the playground equipment. Mr. Ellis will also bring all of the heavy equipment needed for the job and will also pay for the concrete. I spoke to Mr. Ellis on the telephone and confirmed this information. Mr. Ellis is requesting to be paid $500 for his work.
The town has set aside the funds; however, the Board needs to approve this expenditure.

Marquee Sign: We recently received notification from Ms. Morris that her agency is willing to purchase a double-sided marquee for the town, in order to publicize town-wide events and to promote healthy life-styles. The Board will need to discuss the location of the placement of the sign. One consideration is on the small lot across from the Duck Thru.

Map of Play Signs: Along with the other signs which will be placed at the Woodland Community Playground, including new “Park Rules” signs, Health Matters will also provide a map showing the various locations in Northampton County where playgrounds and fun activities are located. These maps will be placed in various locations throughout the county and will include Woodland Community Park.

Downtown Revitalization Grant: Mayor Manuel has spoken to all of the downtown vendors in Woodland regarding the possible ideas that could be considered for the Downtown Revitalization Grant, which the State of North Carolina has offered to the town. The vendors did not have any ideas; however, all were in agreement that a security camera system would be a good investment, considering the recent late-night burglaries that have occurred at businesses on Spruce Street (Luther Culpepper's Office and Nationwide Insurance) and two local churches (Woodland United Methodist and Jerusalem Missionary Baptist).

The application is due to be submitted to the state office by September 15, 2017.

Local Southern Bank Building: Mayor Manuel recently contacted Mr. Jerry Alexander, an official of Southern Bank, regarding the possible gift of the building to the Town of Woodland. Mr. Alexander stated that the building cost almost $300,000 to build. He further stated that the listed price for the sale of the building is $99,000.

Mr. Alexander said he would not be willing to sell the bank for less than $50,000. Any less than that and Southern Bank will not be able to receive any tax credits from the Internal Revenue Service. He said the transaction must pass the IRS “Smell Test.” If it does not smell right to the IRS, they will not accept it. As a result, the IRS would consider the building a gift to the town and the bank would not receive any financial credit for the building. He said that would be a huge loss for the bank.

Mr. Alexander also reported that the bank would sell the building to the town at an interest rate of 4% over 10 years. He was reminded that Woodland has a lot of assets in their bank. He agreed and said he would be willing to sell it at the same price, for 2% interest, provided we use the town's Certificates of Deposit as collateral.

Woodland Community Heritage Day: Woodland Community Outreach, Inc. has scheduled the first ever Woodland Community Heritage Day for Saturday, October 14, 2017, from 11 am to 4 pm. The event will feature musical entertainment, craft vendors, food vendors, games, a petting zoo and a History Tent. The History Tent will display the rich history of the town in photographs. Local historians will also be on hand, to share the deep history of this beloved community that we all call home. This will be a perfect opportunity to show our Woodland Pride and share in the fun and festivities!! Woodland Community Outreach is seeking volunteers to assist on the date of the event.

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Welcome to the official web site of the Town of Woodland, North Carolina! Here you can find resources, important dates, town information, business and church listings, and more!

Contact

Town of Woodland, NC
PO Box 297
123 E Main St., Woodland, NC 27897
252-587-7161
Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm. Closed for lunch 12:00-1:00pm