Ellerbe seeking help from state reps to solve accident-prone intersection

ELLERBE — Ellerbe Mayor Fred Cloninger announced that there will hopefully be some improvements coming to an intersection outside of Ellerbe that has caused three accidents in the last two months.

The corner of Pressley Rankin HWY, US Business 220 and North Carolina Highway 73 has been home to the accidents, one of them involving a fatality.

“Even though it’s outside the town limits, our citizens drive there all the time,” Cloninger said.

Cloninger said he’s been in contact with Senator Tom McInnis, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, and Representative Ben Moss, a vice chair of the House Transportation Committee, to discuss the issue.

An exact plan hasn’t been established, but Cloninger said he needed to express his concern that something needs to be done in that area.

A four-way stop sign or a stoplight were floated as potential improvements, potentially in the next few weeks.

“Hopefully, that will be coming shortly,” Cloninger said.

Update on Aging Services

Sharon Morrison, In Home Aide Supervisor for Aging Services, presented updates on Aging Services.

They’re serving 160 people through Meals on Wheels in Richmond County. Currently, seven people are on the waiting list for that program in Ellerbe.

Due to rising COVID-19 cases, masks for visitors at their senior center are no longer suggested, but required. They’ve recently opened back up the public.