Lindsay Pettus Greenway will place a sign of honor in Constitution Park at the entrance of the recently constructed Main Street Underpass.
At its Feb. 27 meeting, Lancaster City Council gave a unanimous nod for the greenway sign to be erected for former Mayor Henry Johnson, an early advocate for the greenway, and for the concrete company, J&S Inc., which donated much of the concrete for the underpass, as well as some concrete for Phase I. J&S is owned by Johnson’s son, Mark Johnson.
The sign will also note the engineering challenges involved in constructing the underpass.
Johnson’s served two mayoral terms, after being elected in 1974 and 1978, but his service with civic organizations was lifelong. Decades before the vision became a reality, he supported Lindsay Pettus’ greenway dream. Johnson died in 2018 at the age of 95, but not before seeing the ground-breaking for the greenway.
The sign will be placed where the asphalt path joins the concrete walkway near the entrance of the underpass.
Party to allow alcohol
City Council voted to allow the public consumption of beer and wine at the upcoming Shamrock Block Party on March 16 from noon to 10 p.m. in downtown Lancaster.
Festival attendees over the age of 21 will be able to enjoy an adult beverage purchased from either 521 BBQ or LA Tap Room. The two businesses will verify ages and issue wristbands.
The public drinking zone is limited to the two-block area centered around the greenspace at the corner of Gay and Main streets, where a stage will feature live music. Ten bands will play beach, rhythm and blues, country and Southern rock.
More pay for interns
Council approved a pay increase for its summer interns from $7.25 to $12 an hour, a $4.75 increase.
Human Resource Director Angela Roberson said she has seen a significant decrease in applications for the college intern program, due to more competitive pay elsewhere. The Arras Foundation pays interns $13 an hour. Last year, the city had no interns and only a single applicant who chose another opportunity making $15 an hour. Council voted to pay the new wage for up to five interns.
Annexations
Two other ordinances annexing land into the city passed their first readings unanimously. One ordinance was necessary to have water and sewer services reconnected to property at 734 West Brooklyn Ave. Service was disconnected 12 months ago. City code requires a resident to execute a utility service annexation agreement if the structure has been without water and sewer for six consecutive months.
Annexing the $63,900 appraised property will generate $775 in property tax for the city and will not place any additional burden on police, fire and utilities.
The second ordinance will grow the city by nearly 3 acres. The property is located in the vicinity of 1701 Evans Drive and owned by Howard Strickland Jr.
The owner plans to subdivide the parcel into three single-family residential homes. The city will provide police, fire and trash services. While it is just past the outer edge of the fire department’s 1.5 miles of coverage, the fire chief does not anticipate any issues. The potential appraised values of the three houses is $975,000 and will generate nearly $8,000 annually in property tax.
Builders Supply approved for expansion
City Council approved second reading of a zoning ordinance to allow Builders Supply to build a new facility for its door-making operation and add 15-20 jobs. Council unanimously voted to rezone vacant land at 405 S. French St. from residential to industrial.
Budget amendment
City Council voted unanimously to approve the second reading of an ordinance to amend the city of Lancaster’s operating budget for fiscal year 2023-24. City Administrator Flip Hutfles explained the increased costs included unexpected repairs to the wastewater treatment infrastructure, the Juneteenth festival’s entertainment, increase in insurance costs, and overtime.
Hutfles said the overages were covered by the city’s reserve funds. Council member Jackie Harris praised Hutfles’s frugality on the front end of budget preparation, which allowed for the absorption of unexpected costs.
All votes were unanimous. Council members Hazel Taylor and Octavia M. Jones were absent.
