Verizon Tower decision delayed until Oct. 21
By Junious Smith III
Several topics were addressed in last week’s Kinston City Council meeting, including one quite a few were in attendance for.
The conversation about a proposed 180-foot Verizon tower on W. Peyton Avenue was supposed to commence in the meeting, but in a letter from Faulk & Foster Zoning Specialist James LaPann sent on Sept. 4, the organization wanted to push it back to Oct. 21 in order to make changes.
“We are working with the railroad to get their written approval of our revised plans prior to the next meeting,” LaPann stated. “We also investigated the possibility of changing the shape of the proposed tower to be more artistic. We were able to make changes to the design so that we will be providing a covering for both the monopole and the antennas located on the tower. The height of the tower will also be significantly reduced to reduce the potential aesthetic impact.
“Due to these significant changes, we are asking for our matter to be continued to the Oct. 21 meeting. We are working hard to get these changes completed so that this tower will be a better fit for Kinston.”
In other business, the board agreed to work with a pilot program after a presentation from N.C. Department of Justice Special Deputy Attorney General Durwin Jones. As a result, the state will give the city $2,000 for four lots — 925, 927, 929 and 1001 McCaskill Drive.
“The state appropriates hundreds of millions of dollars for Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, and it can be difficult to garner funds at the local level,” Kinston City Manager Tony Sears said. “Hopefully, with the pilot program we can continue to do more.”
Kinston Mayor Don Hardy also pinpointed the importance of the pilot program, along with several recognitions.
“The state coming through is such a great deal because it places homes in the area, helping to rebuild,” Hardy said. “It shows people want to purchase parts of the city and build it up and that’s been the number one thing we’ve been looking at.
“St. John Free Will Baptist is also getting ready to rebuild, which is great as they’re one of the oldest churches in the city. We also wanted to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month (which goes from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15), as well as Public Power Week (from Oct. 6 through 12).”
The next Kinston City Council meeting is slated for Monday, Oct. 7.
