HAMLET — The Hamlet City Council approved a resolution recommending that the speed limit along a portion of Hylan Avenue be lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph following concerns from residents about speeding in the area.
The approximately 1-mile stretch runs from Carl Martin Avenue to the Hamlet city limit. Because Hylan Avenue is a state-maintained road, the city does not have the authority to change the speed limit and can only recommend the change to the North Carolina Board of Transportation.
During council comments later in the meeting, Councilman Tony Clewis said he had contacted the N.C. Department of Transportation office in Carthage and spoke with Division Traffic Engineer Zach Hussey, who conducted a study of the area. Clewis said the request to change the speed limit was initially denied.
Clewis said he later spoke with someone on the State Safety Committee who advised him to appeal the decision and submit the council’s resolution with the appeal to “let’s see if we can get it changed.”
Clewis said the process began while former City Manager John Terziu was in office and that he asked Terziu if he could take the lead on the issue.
“So that’s the reason I’ve been kind of working on this,” Clewis said.
The council also approved the renewal of the Hamlet EMS contract. Interim City Manager Mackenzie Webb, Finance Director Edna Miles, Chief Trey Goodwin and Assistant Chief Richard Lassiter reviewed the contract, which remains the same except for extending the renewal period from one year to five years and changing payments from twice a year to annually.
During the city manager’s report, Webb provided updates on several city projects, including work at the water plant. A monthly progress meeting was held earlier this month with LKC Engineering and Dellinger Inc., which Webb said have been working “diligently on demolition and locates in the area.”
Crews are expected to begin pouring new concrete and installing backwash piping in the coming month. Webb also said crews have been on site for the City Lake Trail, with construction expected to begin as scheduled.
The engineering team is also developing a plan for the Hamlet Senior Center retaining wall at the center’s parking lot. The project was included in the current fiscal year budget.
“Our goal is to shore up the wall in a safe and cost-effective way. Right now, they’re looking at doing a sort of terrace wall to stabilize the current retaining wall,” Webb explained.
Several residents also addressed the council during public comments.
Dr. Amber Daniels raised concerns about age limits for Hamlet Parks and Recreation soccer, saying her research showed the maximum age and birthday cutoff dates have varied.
“One year, it’ll be 13 years, it’s the max. The next year, it would be 14 years, is the max, and then it switches back and forth. One time the cutoff is in April, the next time the birthday cutoff is in August,” Daniels said.
Daniels asked how the city determines the age limit and shared the experience of her son, who recently turned 13 and has played soccer for two to three years.
“Now this year, he’s aged out. So he didn’t know last year was his last chance to play with his friends, be on those teams. And that doesn’t just happen to him, it happens to a lot of kids here in Hamlet,” Daniels explained. “All kids don’t go to the public schools and the middle schools to where they get to be on the teams that are competing every week and things of that nature. So the parks and really viable to the youth here, and I just think that there should be, I want to say better planning, but some transparency when it comes to these age limits.”
Daniels said Rockingham Parks and Recreation soccer has consistently allowed players ages 16 and younger.
Daniels also asked whether the city plans to address panhandling, saying she has begun seeing people asking for money in Hamlet and questioning whether the city is considering ordinances to address the issue. Daniels told the council that she believed people asking for money in Hamlet were coming from Rockingham.
“… I just wonder, are we going to be proactive on that, or are we gonna wait until they’re on our corners everywhere? Like they do in East Rockingham and Rockingham and have to address that issue,” questioned Daniels.
Don Norton raised concerns about food trucks potentially obstructing streets or alleyways behind businesses on Main Street, including the Landmark Tavern. Norton questioned whether emergency vehicles would be able to access the area if a food truck were blocking the roadway.
Councilman Oscar Sellers asked Norton whether a food truck regularly blocks the alleyway. Norton said the truck is there whenever there’s “something special happening at the Tavern.”
Norton also alerted the council to what he described as a fallen tree near Spring Street that he said is approximately 2 feet high.
Esco Latimer presented his Pipeline to Pantries initiative, which he described as a nonprofit organization designed to provide one meal a day to seniors 65 and older who are unable to get out into the community. Latimer said he plans to initially self-fund the organization to get it “up and running” before applying for grants.
Webb also congratulated three new officers with the Hamlet Police Department — Officer Daianna Dobson, Officer James Pauling and Officer Sharmar Byrd.
Webb thanked Buildings and Maintenance Director Doc Sylvain for relocating the Imperial Foods monument from Hamlet City Lake to the Imperial Foods Memorial site.
The council later entered closed session under North Carolina General Statute 143-318.11(a)(3) for attorney-client privilege to discuss Terziu v. Smith and other matters. The council took no action after returning to open session.