Expansion a topic at Wallace Town Council

The Wallace Town Council convened for their regular meeting at the Wallace Women’s Club last Thursday, where the board discussed the town’s ongoing development and upcoming Strawberry Festival. The meeting also featured an update on a shell building in one of the town’s industrial parks and the introduction of a new interim finance director.
Scotty Summerlin, executive director of the Duplin County Economic Development Commission, provided an in-depth update to the board regarding the progress of a 50,000-square-foot shell building being constructed in Southpark, one of the county’s three industrial parks.
Summerlin advised the council that the purpose of the structure is to attract investors. The shell building will be largely incomplete. Summerlin indicated that a Certificate of Occupancy won’t be sought for the location at this time.
Charley Farrior, former mayor of Wallace, provided additional insight into shell buildings for the council’s benefit.
“[The] reason you don’t put a floor in it is because you don’t know who’s going in it. They could need a six-inch floor, they could need a four-inch floor, they could need a pit dug,” he explained. “It is a building for a new occupant to come in and finish like they want it finished.”
Construction of the building, a $3 million investment, should commence within the next 90 days, with the first phase expected to finalize by the end of the year.
“I want to talk to you as the former mayor for a minute,” said Farrior, addressing the board on another matter. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I hope this question will kind of stick in your mind: what are you doing to prepare for and promote industrial development?”
Farrior expressed that while residential development in the town is growing rapidly, industrial development shouldn’t fall to the wayside.
“A lot of factors go into industrial recruitment,” said Farrior, noting that attracting industries was an extremely competitive process that required available land, water, sewer, housing, good schools, adequate internet services, and at times, natural gas and railway availability.
The former mayor praised the town of Beulaville for their recent acquisition of 54 acres of land for industrial development, applauding them for the progressive purchase. He also shared the cautionary tale of another local community currently under a sewer moratorium to illustrate the importance of sewer and water in developing municipalities.
“It’ll take you four or five years to add on to the plant that you got,” cautioned Farrior. “Don’t let it get in front of you.”
In other business:
The town granted the contract for the demolition of 14 structures at the Wallace-Pender Airport to Coastline Contracting for $453,405. Airport Director Ben Jones stated that this would be a straightforward project and should be done by July.
The board unanimously approved the sale of beer and wine for the town’s upcoming Carolina Strawberry Festival from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, May 2 and from 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Over 150 vendors will take part in the annual festival.
As part of the financial report, Town Manager Robert Taylor announced Carrie Gurganious as interim finance director.

Near the meeting’s end, Rod Fritz, planning director for the town of Wallace, urged the board to reach out to elected officials in response to legislation brought before the North Carolina House and Senate that could hinder the growing town’s development by taking away extraterritorial jurisdictions (the ability for local municipalities to zone areas outside of their corporate limits). The North Carolina League of Municipalities has opposed the legislation and has encouraged its members to send letters to their representatives expressing the concern.
“It’s important that we get those letters signed,” said Fritz, advising the board that the bills have the potential to largely undo local land-use planning in the town of Wallace. ”We need to reach out to our representative and our senator to make sure that they know that we’re opposed to this new legislation.”