ROCKINGHAM- The City of Rockingham, following a closed session, moved to acquire the former Food King building and property in downtown Rockingham.
In a motion by Councilman Bennett Deane, the council voted to purchase the property for $60,000 with the intent of the purchase being stated as economic re-development. Following the unanimous vote for the motion, Councilman Deane commented, “I think it’s a great opportunity for the city to acquire the property…a great opportunity for continued development of downtown Rockingham.” City Planner John Massey confirmed the city currently has two parties engaged in conversations and both are good prospects for potential development.
The children of John and Hilda Langley recently offered to donate some property owned by the family for many years in honor of their parents. City Manager Monty Crump stated, “It’s a critical piece of property for the city and helps complete the old Pee Dee lakebed acquisition.” Council voted to accept the donation and thanked the Langley’s. Mayor Steve Morris said, “Dr. Langley influenced thousands of children coming through Rockingham Junior High School during his career.”
A memo of Agreement between the City of Rockingham and Cascades Tissue Group was brought by Crump and approved by the board. The memo is an agreement between the two parties for removal of the Midway Dam, currently owned by Cascades. The removal is intended to restore Hitchcock Creek to its natural flow conditions. According to Crump, “With the removal of Midway Dam, Hitchcock Creek will be open all the way from Roberdel to the Pee Dee River.” “This will allow shad and other fish to go back to their traditional spawning reaches and increase the safety of the Blue Trail.” The 14 mile BlueTrail, developed by the City of Rockingham, is currently used by kayakers and canoe enthusiasts from near and far.
According to Crump, the city will seek grant funding to accomplish the dam removal. Crump thanked Cascades and their employees and noted they have been “huge Supporters of Hitchcock Creek”. Crump noted they have had numerous creek clean-ups, “They are very environmentally oriented,” stated Crump. For more information on the Blue Trail, visit https://www.visitnc.com/listing/hitchcock-creek-blue-trail
Mayor Morris discussed the upcoming Preparation Sunday event to be held at Rockingham First Baptist Church this Sunday February 18 at 4pm. The event, aimed at educating churches on the latest safety measures around potential violence aimed at churches, is being presented by the Rockingham Police Department. For the full story recently published in the RO, visit https://www.richmondobserver.com/national-news/item/1293-top-story-first-baptist-church-of-rockingham-to-host-preparation-sunday-to-educate-on-church-security-measures.html
Mayor Morris ended the meeting with a Happy 5th Birthday for Discovery Place Kids,. Rockingham. Morris noted, “The city partnered with them and that was the anchor that started the downtown redevelopment”
The Rockingham City Council meets on the second Tuesday of each month. For additional details about this meeting please contact Rockingham City Hall at (910) 997-5546.
