Wallace appoints new finance director

WALLACE — Excitement, optimism, and good cheer suffused the town hall Thursday night as Mayor Jason Wells prepared to administer the Oath of Office to Ashlee Graziano during the board’s monthly meeting, officially making the United States Marine Corps veteran the new finance director and deputy tax collector for the town of Wallace.

“It gives you goosebumps, being a part of something that helps the general public,” said Graziano, who has previously served her country and her community as a member of the USMC Military Police and as a mathematics instructor at White Oak High School in Jacksonville.
As finance director, Graziano plans to foster the town’s growth while ensuring Wallace retains its characteristic charm.

“I definitely want to bring more federal grants to the town and get funds to beautify Wallace,” Graziano told the Duplin Journal, intimating that cleaning up streets and the continued improvement of the downtown area were high priorities. The former MP also intends to ensure the police department has what it needs to police effectively and has similar intentions for the town’s volunteer fire department that she someday hopes to see salaried.
Thursday night’s meeting also featured public hearings on the rezoning of two tracts of land in the area, indicative of the growth the town will see in the coming months and years.
The Hughes Tract on Highway 117 in Pender County is presently zoned as residential and has been annexed into the town of Wallace. Applicant Keith Spalding-Robbins with the Strong Rock Group requested the rezoning of the parcel to Highway Business on behalf of the owner, Tony Davis of Avery-Davis Investments LLC. This commercial designation has the potential to bring new shopping centers, convenience stores, offices and retail establishments to the area. No discussion was presented during the public hearing and the board moved to approve the request.
The second property under consideration for rezoning is Summerfield, in addition to a portion of the Martha Teachey property. The intention of the applicants is to develop the site into a single-family subdivision and provide affordable housing, with immediate plans for future municipal sewer and water lines.

“The planning board met and unanimously thought this was a good idea for development of the town of Wallace,” said Rod Fritz, director of the planning board.
The public hearing saw some discussion, though primarily on drainage issues, the ability to operate a law office under the new zoning designation, and the effects rezoning would have on the taxes and bills of current residents.
“Can’t answer that yes or no,” explained Wells in response to a query from a citizen on the potentiality of tax increases, advising that a concrete answer is out of reach until the county completes its reevaluation. “I know that they’ll have it done by the end of this year, but I don’t know what that means for our bills. And I’m like you, I kind of suspect those bills are going to go up a little bit.”

A vote followed the public hearing, and the board unanimously decided to move forward with approval of the rezoning request.
In other business, the town awarded DPH Construction Company with several bids for various projects, including the cleaning of the little pond at Farrior Park to improve water flow and drainage, though efforts likely won’t start until the summertime, according to Town Manager Robert Taylor.

The company will also be entrusted with the town’s Waste Water Treatment Plant Dike Project, which Taylor said will begin immediately.
“It’s a little behind schedule, so we’re ready to go.”
DPH Construction will also work with the town to renovate the former Parks and Recreation building into the new town hall, with Taylor noting that construction will not start until funding has been identified at a later date.
With the rezoning of the Hughes Tract to allow for the development of new commercial properties down Highway 117, and the Summerfield rezoning bringing new homes to the area, Wallace continues to flourish. The addition of Graziano as finance director and deputy tax collector can only serve to strengthen an already thriving community.
“I can’t wait to grow with the town of Wallace and see how we succeed,” said Graziano. “I get to be a huge part in that. It’s like a dream.”