A large crowd of nearly 100 people attended the annual ROW Candidate Forum on Monday, October 7 at the Community Center. 10 Candidates participated and Jon Evans, WECT News Anchor, moderated the proceedings and asked questions submitted by ROW members Alan Smith and Marilyn Cantarela. The candidates included incumbents Mayor Bill Saffo and incumbent Council members Neil Anderson, Margaret Haynes and Paul Lawler. It was a lively and informative forum.

 

                

 

The annual ROW Membership Meeting on September 11 was well attended by over a hundred members and over twenty new members. Tony Kirkegaard provided a wonderful array of food, especially the chicken salad sandwiches, fruits and munchies. A short business meeting was led by ROW President Beverly Grasley and Tony Kirkegaard was approved as the new Membership Chair to fill the vacancy of former Chair Darla Hamby. The group observed a Moment of Silence in memory of 9/11. Treasurer Dave Hendrickson was kept busy accepting membership dues. Everyone agreed that the battleship is the perfect location for the membership meeting. 

ROW has received a generous gift of nearly $300 from the estate of June Dellinger Huff. The check was provided by Executor Muriel Pearson. Another larger amount from June's estate was given to ROW at the January meeting. The ROW Board of Directors and members appreciate these gifts that will be used in contributions to the ROW community.

When you go downtown for any reason, be a good neighbor and do not park in the residential blocks of Front, Second or Third Street. The parking garages are free for the first 90 minutes so please use them. The residents of the 200 block of Second Street are experiencing an increase in street parking, especially since the summer downtown concert series moved to the corner of Market and Second. Please be considerate of our fellow residents.

Outgoing Mayor Phoebe Bragg (on the right)  introduced new Mayor Beverly Grasley at the Member Meeting on March 13.

Residents in the Historic District will be impacted by decisions made by the City, County and State in the coming weeks, months and years that affect the quality of life downtown. These issues are monitored closely by ROW as explained below.

 

I. In November, the City Council voted to extend parking restrictions in the residential streets nearest the Central Business District and to fund a study of parking patterns in the affected area. New parking restrictions to close the gap between 5:30 pm and 3:00 am were approved and restrictions were extended to include Sunday. The five blocks affected are:  200 block of Orange Street, 100 and 200 blocks of Ann Street and 200 and 300 blocks of Second Street.

 

II.  The City Council has approved the following regulations for both Home Stay and Whole House Short Term rentals in residential areas of Historic Districts that became effective March 1, 2019:

 

III. The Grace Street Project, involving the block that includes the library, has been postponed. New Hanover County owns the block and County Commissioners are reviewing proposals for a public-private redevelopment of the block that could affect the current library and possibly move the Cape Fear Museum to the site. A survey of ROW members in March found overwhelming support for keeping Story Park and against building 125 Apartments. The results were nearly even for keeping the current library/building a new one and moving the museum downtown. On April 1, the County Commissioners postponed a final decision on the project. 

 

IV. NCDOT has hired a consulting firm to study the possibility of adding additional lanes to the existing Cape Fear Bridge. Only the study has been funded. A plan to build a new bridge between Brunswick and New Hanover Counties is not currently being pursued. 

 

V. The City has reviewed its brick street policy and repairs and restoration have been made on S. 4th Street between Market and Dock Streets; on Queen Street between S. 2nd and S. 7th Streets; and on S. 7th Street between Queen and Mears.