Thursday, October 18, 2012 11:50 PM

Complaints prompted grass cutting

City approves 2 more Internet cafes
By Janet Conner-Knox | Times Staff Writer

Members of the city of Wilsons U.S. 301 Advisory Committee are pleased with some of the progress made along the corridor since their meeting with business owners last month. The committee met for the first time on Wednesday since it held a conference with business owners along the corridor last month. Advisory members said the meeting with business members went great. One business owner, who runs a convenience store at the corner of Forest Hills Road and U.S. 301, told the group that high grass on an empty lot across from his business was an eyesore. Fulton Parham, advisory member, said the business owner wanted some help getting his concerns heard. How high that grass was had gone unnoticed, Parham said. A few days after that meeting, the grass was cut. Zette McArn, who chairs the advisory committee, said other areas she saw that looked improved and said she is pleased. Joyce Haney, advisory board member, said she is concerned with other portions along the corridor. As you walk along the corridor and look into the ditches, you can see it is clustered with grass and trash, Haney said. My concern is that this is a drainage problem. The water just sits in the ditch. It has no where to go. The debris and grass and trash stops the water from draining out. Haney said she has noticed it near the pharmacy on Martin Luther King Parkway and in ditches near the McDonalds at Lipscomb Road and Ward Boulevard. You can see it from Atlantic Street and it goes all the way down to the McDonalds stop light, all along there about four or five ditches, Haney said. McArn advised the group they still have lots of work to do. The group is planning to have a meeting with the N.C. Department of Transportation to see if they can have more communication with them in order to help the businesses along the corridor. Janet Holland, a city employee who works with the advisory committee, told the board two Internet cafes were approved Tuesday night by the Wilson Board of Adjustment to go on the corridor. The businesses will be located 6643 Ward Blvd. and 6701 Ward Blvd. Holland said Alton Head asked for the approval and each business will have 30 machines. Four Internet cafes in the city will have to close their doors come Dec. 31 and look for new locations in areas zoned for industrial use. Enforcement of the citys zoning regulations could force more of these businesses to look at locating along the U.S. 301 corridor if they want to continue to operate in Wilson. janet@wilsontimes.com | 265-7847