Rose Hill Board approves new subdivision

ROSE HILL — The Rose Hill Town Board of Commissioners took the final step at their meeting on Nov. 12, paving the way for a new six-home subdivision to be built in town. The meeting had been moved one day ahead due to Veterans Day.

The new homes will be built on a property at the intersection of Church Street and Hall Street. The plans were recently approved by the town planning board before being submitted to the full town board. According to Rose Hill Town Administrator Angela Smith, the developer plans on initially building two houses at the site and then adding the other four homes over a period of time.

The board also approved extending the lease of town property to Rooks Wells, who uses the property for agricultural purposes. According to Smith, the town cleared an additional portion of the land, which Wells also agreed to lease. The lease amount will be $2,062.50 annually.

At last month’s meeting, a representative of a beauty shop on Church Street asked the board to consider putting handrails to allow patrons to more easily maneuver up the steps beside parking spaces in front of the business. The board agreed to take up the matter at this meeting.

The northern side of Church Street, where the business is located, has steeper steps than the southern side in the downtown area.

Smith advised the board that she had learned since the last meeting that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) would require the entire downtown area to be brought into compliance with all ADA regulations if they added the requested handrails, which could be costly. The board agreed Smith should ask Legion Asphalt what it would cost to bring downtown into compliance. The board took no action on the request.

During  Smith’s report to the board, she said the project to relieve the frequent flooding at the intersection of Walnut Street and Charity Road is scheduled to begin on Dec. 1. The town received a grant of $395,800 from the Golden Leaf Foundation to tackle the problem. According to the foundation’s website, heavy rains result in flooding caused by stormwater backups in a ditch on Walnut Street, which is a main egress for the town’s fire department. The work is expected to be completed within four months.

Dec. 6 will be a busy day in Rose Hill for holiday celebrations. Christmas by the Tracks will feature the Christmas Parade at 6 p.m., followed by a performance by the parade’s grand marshal, native son Harvey Arnold. Arnold’s concert will be followed by the Christmas tree lighting and more music from the Johnson Boys. The event will also feature arts and crafts and food trucks.