Mayor Julia Meacham and Weldon board member Earl Smith don’t believe Bill Blackwell has lived up to his contract with the town, failing to bring what Meacham calls a viable business to his grist mill overlooking the Roanoke River.

Blackwell, however, told the town board tonight he has 7 acres on the river which he considers viable and will help the town market itself as a tourist destination.

That was the conflict during the town board’s meeting.

Blackwell bought the building in 2003, got a building permit for it in 2005 and has slowly made improvements to the old mill. Under the contract Blackwell said a business entity was supposed to be housed in the mill in two years.

What constitutes a business entity is something Blackwell and the board differ on.

“We want him to be successful,” Meacham said following the meeting. “We’re not telling him what kind of business to put in there. We want a viable business ... The potential is much greater than he’s using it for. There’s nothing inside. It’s empty.”

Meacham said the building should have a business that generates tax revenues for the town. “We want it to be successful. The former town board didn’t do anything about looking into it. This is long overdue.”

Blackwell wants to see the building become a community center. There are already requests for weddings and meetings, he said, and he can run property development from the building. “I think having 7 acres on the Roanoke River is a viable business development. There’s nothing illegal about selling real estate.”

Blackwell also said the town has several empty buildings which equals more than the square footage of the grist mill. “There has been a lot of support from the community,” he said. “If Weldon is ready to jump to the next level that building will lead the charge.”

Brad Elliott, Blackwell’s attorney, told the board by this being the first meeting on the matter, he hoped the board would be willing to work with him instead of saying the contract has been broken and default proceedings should start. “We’re in a depression,” he said. “The timing of this meeting is problematic because of that.”

Meacham said additional meetings would be held on the matter.