Town Administrator Shannon McBride is honored by Mayor Mary Ferguson-Glenn for 25 years of service
Daniel Prince
Town Administrator Shannon McBride honored for 25 years of service to the town
The Carlisle Town Council met for their regular monthly meeting back on Tuesday, March 29. Mayor Mary Ferguson-Glenn showed council members the results of the monthly water audit, saying there are some improvements, but the town is still losing water and they don’t know where. Mayor Glenn has asked for a meeting with the Carlisle Fire Department and the water operators to discuss the fire hydrants in the town. There are several that need repairing, and she wants everyone on the same page to know which ones are working, which ones need repair, and what the priorities are. The town council had previously voted to replace four of the hydrants.
Mayor Glenn updated council on the town’s wastewater project, saying it looks like they won’t meet the deadline of June 1, 2023, saying that City Administrator Joe Nichols has asked the owners of Carlisle Finishing for a six-month extension to the term they have agreed upon to treat the town’s wastewater. WBCU News spoke to Nichols, who clarified that the city is still on track and hoping to get the project finished by the June 1 deadline. He said he did send an email to Carlisle Finishing informing them that due to supply issues in getting equipment in, there might be a need to ask for an extension, but he stressed that he has not formally made that request yet. He said the contract for upgrades to Carlisle’s seven existing pump stations should be finished in August of this year. He said the bids for the generators and the two new pump stations that will pump the town’s wastewater back to Union are going to be coming in soon.
Letters have been sent out to property owners seeking to acquire a couple of pieces of property that will be needed for the new pump stations, and easements will be needed in several locations, as well, and letters have been sent out making that request. In some cases, easements are already in place but have never been formally signed, so the city and the town are working to make sure everything is documented and signed.
One piece of property needed for the new pump stations is owned by the Town of Carlisle. It is located in the Henrietta and Boundary Street area. One of the two pump stations will be built on that parcel. Town Council voted unanimously to donate the parcel of land to the city.
In other business, Town Council unanimously voted to proclaim April as Fair Housing Month in the Town of Carlisle. They voted to get landscaping work done at the Carlisle Town Hall. The parking lot was recently repaved, and the mayor said the landscaping needs some attention. The work could cost as much as $3000. The mayor said as with any project, if the money isn’t there to do it, she won’t move forward with it. Council unanimously voted to authorize the mayor to get the landscaping work done. They also voted to allow Sailor’s Asphalt to come back in a few months and put a sealant on the newly paved parking lot, which will allow it to last longer. The work could cost around $3200.
A request was made for the town to support a homecoming event in the Town of Carlisle. There is a committee that is in charge of putting on the event, which is not affiliated with the town government, but the committee was seeking the town’s support for it. A motion was made to support the event by donating something of value to the event, but that support would not be financial. The vote was unanimous.
Mayor Glenn noted the Carlisle Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled at the Town Hall on Sunday, April 17. She said a STEM class is coming again to Carlisle this summer, from June 13-20. The Community Action Team will be sponsoring a cleanup day in the town on Thursday, April 21, possibly starting at 9 a.m. They want as many people involved as possible. She said the officers came to the town a couple of weeks ago to introduce themselves to people and businesses in the community. They plan to have a regular presence in the town, as they are in many areas of the county, working on different projects and building relationships in the town. Councilwoman Maxine Spencer will head up the program, and she said she plans to call a number of citizens and personally talking to them about coming out to the cleanup event.
The mayor said the town is still seeking a part-time maintenance employee. They have been seeking someone for several months now, with only a couple of applicants. The position is for indoor and outdoor maintenance, and she said one problem they have encountered is applicants have experience in one area but not the other. She said the town may have to split up the duties and create two part-time positions, but she wasn’t sure.
Finally, the Town Council honored Town Administrator Shannon McBride for 25 years of service to the town. She was given a plaque commemorating her service, and an additional part to her recognition will be coming later.