The Wadesboro Town Council held its regular meeting on Monday and heard from a citizen about issues on Ingram Street. The board also decided to administratively void a permit for Jefferson Rivers.

Rev. Ronnie Stewart delivered the invocation for the council and remembered attorney Robert “Bobby” Eugene Little III, who passed away on Feb. 18. Mayor Bill Thacker held a moment of silence for Little at the beginning of the meeting.

During the open time for citizens’ comments, Wadesboro resident David Harrington approached the council and requested that the council repair drainage problems and place “Children at Play” signs on Ingram Street. Harrington has approached the council several times over the last several months about the drainage problems, which the board has consistently answered it does not have the immediate funds to work on. According to Thacker, this was the first time Harrington had mentioned the signs and he said he believed the council could work on that issue.

The council voted unanimously to extend a temporary mobile home permit for a Wadesboro resident currently facing a hardship.

The council also decided to administratively void a pool hall license for Jefferson Rivers. Wadesboro Town Manager Alex Sewell recommended the administrative void with a certain amount of time available for Rivers to seek a hearing if he so desired. According to Thacker, Rivers applied for a license in August but was denied due to a criminal record. Approximately a month later a woman, Ashton Taylor, applied for a license. Taylor recently sent a letter to the town saying that she has had nothing to do with the pool hall business, which has been operating under her name, and requested that any ties between the business and Taylor be severed.

The issue is complicated. “Jefferson Rivers apparently came back on Dec. 11 and applied for a business license and I guess with that application was issued a business license, but this board has not acted on that application that came about,” Thacker said. “So I’m not sure what situation has happened. The application he had originally was denied.” No license should have been issued in Rivers’ name, Hugh James said. Wadesboro Police Chief Thedis Spencer and Captain Brandon Chewning informed the council that multiple charges have been made and that alcohol and marijuana were both at the business. As it stands, the license Rivers has will be administratively voided and Taylor has none.

The council also approved a request from the Anson County Partnership for Children to close some roads for part of the day on April 16. The Partnership will hold its parade that morning at 10 a.m., so Rutherford and Morgan streets, and around Greene Street, will be closed from 8-11:30 a.m.

Repairs for Williamsburg Lane and Lennox Drive were also discussed. The council received informal bids for the repairs but is waiting to expand one of them to include both roads before deciding whether to repair both streets or just Williamsburg. Williamsburg Lane is causing a sinkhole, raising concerns that a sinkhole such as the one that formed near McDonald’s last summer will form. Lennox Drive needs repairs but is not in as bad of shape as Williamsburg Lane, according to James.

Sewell provided the town manager’s report and updated the council on medical insurance, a planning grant, facilities and the possibility of hiring an uptown manager. Sewell expects the insurance to go up only 6 percent, which he said is low compared to others. Additionally, he is working on a planning grant with the North Carolina Rural Center with a 50/50 match, with each contributing $18,800 to go to a water and sewer map, a capital improvements plan (CIP) and an asset management plan.

Sewell is also looking into safety concerns at the police and fire departments. He is working on getting a risk assessment, which was quoted at $2,500. The departments would be examined for mold, lead-based paint and asbestos. “As far as code goes, the building isn’t worthy of condemnation, but it’s not too far away, essentially,” he said. “If we’re going to do any sort of renovating to get into the code there’d be a lot of stuff we’d have to do.” Issues would include bathrooms, heating utilities, the low vehicle bay, and more. Once the concerns are identified the town can decide how to handle them.

Additionally, Sewell estimated the cost for a part-time Uptown Manager and a description of the position.

The council decided to join the Rocky River RPO for its last quarter, which includes March, April, May and June for $400. The council’s membership will be automatically renewed without the need for it to hold a vote.

The council went into closed session to discuss personnel and legal matters. The council decided to move its next meeting to the second Monday of April to avoid holding a meeting on Easter Monday. The next meeting will be April 8 at 5 p.m. at the town hall.