WARSAW — A proposal to install a four-way stop at one of Warsaw’s busiest intersections sparked spirited debate at the latest town board meeting, as officials weighed rising crash reports on Memorial Drive and Hill Street against longstanding frustrations with state inaction and broader concerns about infrastructure, safety and town planning.
Town Manager Lea Turner explained that due to an increase in accidents at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Hill Street, a Warsaw officer made a request to NC DOT to conduct investigations on a four-way stop at that intersection.
“DOT has sent me the information in reference to their investigation. I’ve attached that email,” said Turner, explaining that DOT responded that a four-way stop could be implemented if the town passed a resolution.
Some board members expressed doubt about whether this intersection warranted such a measure, arguing that other intersections, particularly one near Friendly Mart, were more dangerous.
The board discussed alternatives like flashing caution lights or motion-activated signals at the stop signs. Several members expressed frustration with DOT’s past rejections of similar safety measures at other intersections. Ultimately, the group agreed to request further studies and possibly pursue warning lights instead of a four-way stop at the Memorial – Hill intersection.
Commissioner Al Searless spoke about a roundabout that was once proposed by DOT, but the town rejected it due to heavy truck traffic. Several members of the board believe that this decision may have delayed any major safety improvements at that location.
Another commissioner noted that Friendly Mart has been under discussion for over 25 years, yet meaningful changes have not been implemented, and more recent DOT scoring and prioritization efforts have failed to place the intersection high on the list.
The idea of a roundabout was once ahead of its time, being part of a very early statewide rollout. Unfortunately, a lack of public understanding of roundabouts at the time led to resistance. Now, with more municipalities adopting such traffic designs successfully, there may be renewed interest.
“I sit on the DOT, Transportation Advisory Council, and I have not seen anything at the meeting where they’re scoring points for a project,” said Mayor A.J. Connors. “Many other places are getting bicycle lanes and all the other things, and changing routing of 24 in some areas, but have not seen anything in that area.”
The town plans to send a renewed request to DOT, hoping to bring attention back to the intersection and reconsider possible improvements.
Turner also spoke about the need for a retirement policy. Previously, town retirees with 25 years of service and age 62 qualified for medical coverage until age 65, after which they would transition to Medicare supplements. That policy was rescinded in 2022, and currently, the town has no formal retirement policy in place, although some employees remain grandfathered under the old rules.
The town manager proposed a tiered retirement plan with three levels: full medical benefits for 30 years of service at any age, partial benefits for those with 25 years and age 62, and Medicare-only support for 20 years and age 65. While this plan is more generous than the previous one, some board members raised serious concerns about cost and sustainability, particularly the unlimited liability of covering healthcare for potentially decades if someone retires at 50. They noted that most municipalities and even the state are moving away from early retirement coverage due to rising healthcare costs.
“I just question whether we can afford 30 years at any age. If you’ve got somebody who starts at age 20 and they go 30 years and they turn 50, you’re talking about paying their insurance for a lot of years,” said Searless. “I don’t know of any program that does that. In fact, I know the state has pulled back a lot of the retirement programs because retirement programs will break a budget.”
“This is open as a suggestion for tonight. And it is something for you to consider and evaluate so that we can come back at a later date,” said Connors.
Board members requested that the town manager return with projected cost analyses and employee eligibility estimates.
“We have no idea what the cost of somebody’s medical might be if they were to leave at say age 55. And we were saying we were gonna sign up for their medical expenses for the rest of their lives,” said Searless. “We’re seeing both companies and municipalities and even the state back off of the idea of early retirement medical coverage because of the unlimited liability.”
During departmental updates, Betty Davis, with Warsaw Parks and Recreation, shared about her ongoing efforts to enhance recreational facilities.
Davis discussed a number of initiatives in partnership with North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. These include the development of a new walking trail with informative signage and a storytelling component, as well as a collaborative art project involving Girl Scouts to beautify the path and picnic areas. Davis explained these enhancements are being funded through grants.
Davis also shared her vision for revitalizing Warsaw’s community life and infrastructure.
She recalls the town’s more prosperous past and advocated for the community to collectively brainstorm ways to bring back the vibrancy of earlier decades.
Turner provided an update on the wastewater pretreatment program stating that they have been meeting with the state.
“There’s still information that they’re requesting to complete our final review of our pretreatment program, but we have been working with them on that,” said Turner, adding that the town is actively working with state agencies to address wastewater compliance issues.
According to NC DEQ documents in the last three months Warsaw has been fined more than $115,000 in civil penalties for violations of the discharge limitations found in the town’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System wastewater permit, which occurred from January through March 2025.
Turner told Duplin Journal that the fines are paid by the industries responsible for the violations.
Commissioner Jack A. Hawes stressed that local leaders are engaging state and federal representatives to advocate for equitable funding to bring the sewer system up to par.
“I’ve been reaching out to our representatives to get us this money because I think it’s totally unfair that they represent us and everybody gets money besides Warsaw,” said Hawes, he also encouraged residents to contact legislators.
“I kind of want to dispel some of what I feel like is out there that feels like there is secrecy. There’s some things we just can’t talk about because there’s a law issue related to it. And we go in closed sections.”
The board pushed back on any narrative that the town is hiding information, especially concerning fines. Hawes clarified that all required reports are self-submitted by licensed professionals, and any issues identified stem from honest internal reporting, not external audits.
“When you just see or hear that we got a fine, it’s not the state coming, breaking down our doors and finding this fine. It’s the reports that we send them. So that means there’s nobody hiding nothing because we send them the report,” said Hawes. “We are working to get this sewer problem resolved as quickly as we possibly can because right now it’s really going to start stunting our growth if we don’t get it rectified.”
Hawes praised the town manager’s willingness to confront longstanding problems, particularly regarding the water and sewer infrastructure.
“At least she has the guts to face it and try to correct it. Because the other managers did not do it. And now it’s falling square in her lap. But at least she’s not turning a blind eye to it,” said Hawes. “She’s facing it straight on. Even though she gets all the different phone calls, the nasty phone calls, the nasty emails, she still is moving forward along with the commissioners, to actually fix the problem that’s been there for decades.”
Connors discussed reviewing the town’s personnel policies, specifically those related to vacation leave for full-time employees. Connors proposed changes to the internal process for approving and tracking leave. Currently, policy requires board approval for employees seeking two consecutive weeks of leave.
Connors also highlighted the need for timely performance evaluations, particularly for the town manager. Although evaluations are outlined in the town’s municipal policy, they have not yet been completed.
“That is something that needs to be done in the near future,” said Connors.
He emphasized that evaluations are also expected from department heads for their respective staff.
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