Snow Hill Commissioners address infrastructure, community projects, and public safety in comprehensive meeting
Photo: From Commissioner Derek Burress Substack email.
The Snow Hill Board of Commissioners convened a dynamic meeting at town hall, addressing a wide range of issues from policy re-approvals to infrastructure upgrades and community initiatives. Led by Town Manager April Vinson, the session highlighted collaborative efforts to shape the town’s future, drawing input from residents, county representatives, and state officials.
Agenda and Policy Re-Approvals Kick-Off Proceedings
The meeting opened with a swift approval of the agenda, followed by a consent agenda that included the minutes from the August 11 regular meeting and the re-adoption of critical policies: internal control, non-discrimination, record retention, procurement, and conflict of interest.
Town Manager April Vinson explained the need for re-adoption: “You guys actually adopted this policy, unfortunately, without a signed copy, and I have to have this for projects, so that is the reason why we’re re-adopting these policies so I can get a signature with the current clerk and the mayor.”
Commissioner Lorraine Washington sought clarification: “And it’s already been approved, right?” Town Attorney Brian Pridgen responded: “These policies are required as part of the ARPA funding that the town and pretty much every other municipality and county government received. The policies that you’ve been asked to adopt are recommended by the School of Government. They are pretty much verbatim what ARPA is asking you to approve, and at least to a certain extent, they only come into play when you’re dealing with federal grant dollars; they don’t apply to your practices across the board, and we really don’t have a whole lot of discretion in how we can tweak those policies. This is what they’re requiring.” Vinson added: “They were approved one time before, but the state is coming back to ensure all towns approve them and meet this deadline.”
Senior Games Celebrated with Community Pride
With no general public comments, Sharon Harrison from the Greene County Senior Center updated the board on the town’s sponsorship of the regional Senior Games.
Harrison lauded the participants’ success: “I want to thank the town for sponsoring the regional Senior Games. Regional games were held in New Bern during the spring. Greene County did quite well. I want to thank you. We had 15 participants in the regional games, we had 20 gold medals, 17 silver medals, six bronze medals, 43 medals total. Of the 15 participants, 13 requested to compete in state finals, which are this month and next month, and they usually do well at state finals.”
She shared an inspiring anecdote: “An interesting competition this year was Joan Wade in bocce. She was playing bocce, competing against a young lady from Cherokee who usually won gold every year. We were there all day. And finally, the official said, ‘Well, you can forfeit the last match.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, no, we’ve been here all day. If she wants to compete, let her do it.’ And Joan got the gold that day.”
She listed the competitors: “We had Alice Barfield, Sarah Battle, Linda Burton, Rose Jones, Neal Chadwick, Bronnie Chase, Gwen Johnson, Doc Jones, Clarence Moore, Mary Shepherd, Regina Thomas, Kenny Wayne, Art Ramos, and Melina Waters that competed.”
National achievements were highlighted: “We had two who competed in nationals in Des Moines, Iowa. And I wanted to mention Linda Burton, she’s in the back… In eight-ball billiards, she got fourth out of eight.”
Harrison also noted the walking club’s revival: “We have started our walking club back at the Senior Center, and we use your track. It’s a safe place. It’s a good track, a safe place. So we started that back this month.” She expressed gratitude: “We appreciate your sponsorship, and it’s just good for Greene County to compete against other counties because they’re not playing against each other. It sharpens their skills when they go to state finals, and it shows when they bring home those medals.”
Mayor Liles congratulated the group: “Thank you to everyone of y’all that won, this is very good representing the county and town. It’s really nice.” He shared town updates: “I got a little news for y’all, too. There’s a little box back there. That’s the seven-station workout. It’s really nice. They will be putting that up. It’s coming soon, already boxed in. We’re going to get that also. We’ll have picnic shelters, which will be 10 picnic tables and two tennis courts, yes, tennis, not pickleball.”
Comprehensive Transportation Plan Draft Presented
Carlos Moya from the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Transportation Planning Division presented draft recommendations for the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP).
After distributing a folder containing PowerPoints, maps, and project lists, Moya outlined the plan’s purpose: “This acronym means comprehensive transportation plan, and it represents a consensus of the community, how, in this case, the town of Snow Hill thinks they will grow into the future. It is multi-modal, including highway, bicycle, pedestrian, and public transportation.”
He acknowledged the collaborative effort: “Working with us with NCDOT are multiple entities. We have the NCDOT transportation planning division, the local NCDOT Division Two, and we’ve incorporated cooperation with the three main municipalities: Hookerton, your town, Snow Hill, and Walstonburg. Also, we have members of Greene County, the local rural planning organization, Eastern Carolina Planning, community stakeholders, and, of course, the citizens, the public in general.”
Moya detailed the adoption process: “After more than one year of working with these entities, these projects need to be adopted and endorsed at three levels locally. Every single town needs to adopt these projects, Greene County as well. It has to be done also to the Eastern Carolina RPO and the NCDOT Board of Transportation in Raleigh. This is the first step in developing all these projects.” He referenced state law: “If you Google it, you have in front of you, it’s NC State title 136-62, which covers all the law about this planning in rural areas.”
On funding challenges, Moya noted: “The funding is part of the prioritization, and these days the need is like 100, the funding is 40, so it’s important that our recommendations are data-driven.”
Harold Thomas, Greene County’s NCDOT Transportation board chairman, elaborated: “In this comprehensive transportation plan that we’ve been working on for two years… this is a look out to the future, 2030, years out. This is what the people who have worked on this see, along with the DOT, as our needs. When we go to the RPO, the four counties—Wayne, Greene, Lenoir, and Duplin—each project is point-driven, based on the need, and the data is data-driven. There is no funding for any of this now, and we would have to compete in the future for funding for various projects.”
Upon completion of Moya’s presentation, Mayor Liles praised local involvement: “I’ve never been in a more efficient meeting. Harold, I’m telling you, I’ve been on a lot of boards, and we get there, we say a prayer, and we’re usually out in less than an hour… Thank you for what you’ve done.”
Editor’s note: We previously covered the same presentation in our July 28th newsletter. You can view additional details, including a link to the plan, here: Greene County Commissioners Address Community Welfare, Transportation, Taxes, and Safety at July 21 Meeting.
Downtown Economic Development Resolution Adopted
The board unanimously adopted a resolution to engage NC Commerce’s free services for a downtown economic development strategic plan, following a prior presentation by Samantha Darlington, aiming to revitalize the town’s core.
Mural Projects Proposed for Town Beautification
Vinson introduced mural projects, highlighting artist Max Dowdle’s statewide initiative: “He was in an article, I cannot remember the name of it (CountyQuarterly), where he is going around to all 100 counties trying to put a mural in. So that’s 100 murals across North Carolina.” Costs were estimated at $10,000 to $15,000, with community involvement in design and painting. Local artist Seraphim Smith, currently working on a museum mural, was a cost-effective alternative: “There is a local painter, artist by the name of Seraphim, currently doing the mural at the museum… His cost is between six and $10,000, depending on the size of the canvas.”
Potential sites included the former Hardy’s Furniture and Appliance building (with permission but needing stucco repairs), the old doctor’s office on Second Street, a sharp curve on Second Street, West Harper Street near the Rosenwald School, and the intersection of Kingold Blvd. and Harper Street. It was then clarified that there will not be any murals on the Rosenwald School itself due to the historical significance, but they had identified a potential spot on the newer LCC building that might be a good possibility.
Designs could feature local icons: “It’s like a collage, with the rams, tobacco, and includes the baseball team that just won their two-way championship.”
Commissioners supported local talent: “I’m all about helping local when we can, and I know that Seraphim is very talented… If you can get something done for half the cost.” Vinson noted potential grants: “The economic development lady (Samantha Darlington) also said she could probably find some grants.”
Vehicle Purchases Approved for Maintenance and Police
The board approved a $38,550 Ford F-150 crew cab for the maintenance department, funded by water and sewer, to replace unreliable vehicles: “We have the crew cab truck, which carries inmates back and forth to the prison, has broken down twice and left them stranded on the side of the road. It is currently completely down.”
A repurposing plan for the old F-250 was proposed: “Converting the bed to a flat bed where we can add a crane system… saving the town from paying Pearson’s pumping $2,500 at least to just come and unplug the pump.” For the police department, a 2023 vehicle with 11,500 miles was approved for $28,500: “Everything about this vehicle matches the vehicle that MJ’s car was. The cage, all components from the wrecked vehicle, can slide right back into this one.”
A commissioner inquired about the vehicle costs, noting that the board had recently passed a budget that included a set amount for vehicles. Vinson casually mentioned the benefit of the town adopting a formal vehicle replacement policy or schedule for replacement at a later date, similar to the county’s system. Such a plan would enable vehicles to be replaced once they reach a certain mileage or age, thereby maintaining a reliable and cost-efficient fleet. This approach would also reduce unexpected breakdowns and prevent the board from being caught off guard by the need to replace vehicles at inconvenient times during the year.
Committee Formed to Address Dilapidated Properties
A committee, including Commissioners Faye Daniels, Lorraine Washington, and Diane Andrews, was formed to identify dilapidated homes: “We discussed forming a committee to go around and identify which homes need to be addressed.” Town Attorney Brian Pridgen added that the committee would “compile a list of addresses, take some pictures, and bring it back to the board.”
Community Events and Fundraising Promoted
Vinson promoted a 50/50 raffle for the Christmas Extravaganza: “The 50/50 will include the funds the town receives, to be put right back into the festival to make it bigger, better.” She also reminded the board of the elected officials meet-and-greet on September 27 at Farmer and the Dail from 6:30 a.m. to 8 a.m., and the Greene County Museum’s Charter of Freedom dedication on September 17 at 9 a.m.
Police, Finance, Public Works, and Recreation Updates
Police Chief Josh Smith reported low crime: “We’ve been taking a lot of reports in August, which is a good thing. That means crime is not being committed… The next four lines have been cleared by arrest.” Stats included three crashes, 11 citations, and 29 violations with 82.7% compliance.
Smith then gave an update on the SRO, stating that the position is currently unfilled but the department does have officers out there assisting with bus traffic and car rider lanes. Smith stated that several applicants were going through the hiring process.
Smith also introduced newly hired officer Mary Lancaster: “She’s going through field training… In her first week here, she did three crash reports and made an arrest.” He also announced the promotion of Corporal Megan Johnson, following Officer Bria Payton’s departure to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioners asked about the traffic on Second and Greene Street, with one commissioner stating that she was scared to cross the street due to the traffic. Adequate parking emerged as a challenge for officers, as there are very few places to park and run the radar with a clear line of sight. Corporal Johnson addressed speeding concerns on Greene Street: “Greene Street is a very difficult area, I’ve sat there, tucked away enough to see down the road, and I’ve written citations on that road.” Johnson then explained a few technical details about running radars in those areas.
Finance Officer April Williams reported early-year balances, with property taxes pending: “There’s not a lot of income yet because we are not getting property taxes yet.”
Vinson, presenting for Public Works Director Travis Waters, noted a perfect water inspection: “Travis went through a state inspection for the water and got an A plus with no violations and no recommendations.”
Cemetery maintenance was commended: “The grounds, and the feedback from that part of the community, are wonderful.”
Parks and Recreation Director Toni Waters reported on the splash pad: “For August, we had a total of 346 attendees, generating $692 revenue. Week one and three had the highest attendance. Week two and four had the lowest due to inclement weather.”
Meeting Concludes with Closed Session
The regular session ended with Mayor Likes commending the police department staff for their quick response to some shattered glass in front of Harper Insurance on Greene Street before adjourning to closed session.
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