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FAISON — The town of Faison weighed proposed renovations against budgetary responsibilities at their monthly meeting Wednesday evening as they continue working closely with the Faison Improvement Group (FIG) to prepare the town for its annual Farmer’s Parade and Street Festival on March 15.
Following a presentation from Faison native Ron Oates, and George Carr of FIG, the board unanimously approved the town’s cooperation with FIG in sourcing and installing signs at sites of historic significance, as identified by Oates and Carr.
Mayor Billy Ward advised that the town had obtained a quote from Bradley White of White’s Tree Service for the removal of nine dead trees, shrubs, and stumps along Main Street, in addition to a large tree limb hanging over the road near Faison Garage.
“It’s been a trying time over the last several years on those trees,” said Jimmy Tyndall, the town’s executive administrator. “I do want to state for the record that we have no obligation to trim that limb.”
Ward explained that they received a reasonable quote for the required work and mentioned that White had agreed to remove the problematic trees ahead of the parade. After reaching a consensus, the board moved to approve the contract.
The Faison Christmas tree will also meet its end at the hands of White’s Tree Service. Standing nearly 30-feet tall, the once charming tree has grown into a nuisance that’s become difficult to manage. “We can’t get around it,” said Tyndall, adding that they’ve had an issue with bagworms in the tree. “I’m surprised they haven’t killed the tree, actually,” Mayor Pro-Tem Susan McCarty mused. The town will replace the giant with a cluster of three trees with LED bulbs that will circumvent the hassles currently faced.
The town’s distressed backhoe was also a topic of discussion.
“If we order a backhoe from pretty much any one of these companies, it’s going to be three to four months out,” explained Ward. “Even if we budgeted into the next year, it would be Christmas before we could get it, and I don’t think our machine is going to last that long,” he continued.
“That one we’ve got, when I say it’s bleeding… it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” added Tyndall. Motions were approved to allocate funds and purchase a new John Deere backhoe from James River Equipment for $134,298.30, minus $8,000 for a trade-in of the current backhoe.
In other business, Faison Recreation and Wellness Center Director Matthew Scott advised the Board that construction had begun on a shelter in Faison Park and should be completed in time for the town’s Easter Egg Hunt in collaboration with FIG.
”We’re going to have it in the next week,” said Scott. “We did tweak the location a bit,” added Tyndall. “The original, we had wanted to put it alongside the concession stand,” continued Scott, who indicated that he had worked with Tyndall to ensure the shelter’s new location would allow for a walking trail to be accessible to mothers with strollers and those with disabilities. According to the Ward, the shelter will now be located between the walking trail and the playground.
Scott also updated the board on the Recreation and Wellness Center’s after-school program, which is still growing. “It seems every two weeks somebody’s calling and they want to add a child, which is a great thing,” said Scott. Citing the program’s growth and scheduling conflicts among current instructors, Scott requested the board begin the process of hiring two new teachers for the 2025-26 school year. A motion was brought and unanimously accepted to begin recruitment efforts.
