St. Helena Council Meeting Minutes

October 19, 2023

Village of St. Helena Town Hall

6:30 p.m.

Attending the meeting were Mayor Robert Barnhill, Mayor Pro-Tem William Hunter, Councilman Neil Benton, Councilwoman Nancy Jones, Councilwoman Kaye Knowles, Councilwoman Judy Katalinic, Building Inspector Louis T. Hesse, and Village Clerk Mary D. Bakan.

In the audience were Alice Southerland and Gerald Velie.

Robert called the meeting to order.

Allegiance to the U.S. Flag and a salute to the N.C. Flag were said by all.

Judy led the prayer.

On motion by Kaye, and seconded by Neil, the minutes of September 21, 2023 were approved unanimously.

The next order of business was the financial report. On motion by Kaye, and seconded by Nancy, the September 2023 Financial report was approved unanimously.

Robert also reported that the town has just received some ABC money and the amount sent was $10,534.14.

Robert asked Louis about Westgate. Louis reported that they only have two big signs up and the cars have been removed from the right of way.

Robert then brought up the property maps that Judy sent him and William. William said it is best if he walks it and sees exactly where the ditch is located and how bad the drainage is.

Neil was next. He said he did zooming with Port City Sound and they talked about carpeting and curtains. Neil said that he checked on the curtains and they come in and it takes two panels per window and for ten windows, it will be about $3,000 and that does not include the hardware such as rods and tiebacks. He also said that they come in many different fabrics and colors. Neil suggested that after the fabric is picked out, then we should order two sets of curtains for the windows behind the stage and see how we like them before we order the side curtains. On motion by Neil, and seconded by William, it was unanimously approved that two sets of curtains will be ordered after the fabric is selected.

Nancy said that she has got a bid for the work that needs to be done to the two side doors and the ramp as well as the steps and front porch. She presented the bid from Rock Solid Custom Concrete at the October’s council meeting. She outlined the options. Both were over $30,000 and the discussion led to whether it would be better to divide the work with steps being one project and the ramp being a separate project or advertise in the paper to cover our bases.

It was pointed out that the front porch and steps were not a high as a priority as the ramp and steps. Nancy wants the ramp to be fixed first because of the amount of people using the hall and safety concerns. During the discussion, it was pointed out that the septic tank is near the ramp and William and Neil wanted to know where since a part of the ramp might be on top of the septic tank. Ms. Bakan and Judy were there the last time the septic tank was pumped out and they said it was right next to the ramp. William and Neil wanted to go outside to see where the septic tank is. Several people went outside. William went to his truck and got a probe and started sticking the probe into the ground until he hit the septic tank. He then worked outward to see how big the septic tank was. He went to his truck and got a shovel and started carefully digging to find the top of the septic tank. William uncovered part of the septic tank top and it was determined that the septic tank should be replaced. It was decided that the ideal solution is to run a line across the ditch and put a force feed septic system on the property next door that the town owns. Louis outlined what has to be done. Since Neil is in charge of the building, he will go to Environmental at the Health department and arrange for a perk test. He will then get two estimates for putting in a septic tank. It was discussed to hold off replacing the ramp until we get the septic tank situation fixed and maybe do the two doors first since there is no septic tank on that side. The other topic was the railings. It was decided to have “powder coating railings” since they are twice as thick ats paint and don’t flake or peel. There was no further discussion.

Robert asked Louis if he had anything else. He said that he has talked to Gilbert Combs who is the head planner for Burgaw. He has decided to apply for the job of part-time planner for St. Helena. Mr. Combs will charge $300 a month and $35 an hour after 10 hours. Louis said that it seems that the majority wants Sam Shore.

Last issue was the solar farm that was once Greengo. It has grown up and it was decided to send a letter to the property owner

On motion by Neil, seconded by Nancy, the meeting was unanimously adjourned.