Roanoke Rapids City Council took the following action Tuesday night:
Approved a budget amendment of $22,000 to enter into a contract with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to renew the inmate worker program.
The state had suspended the program during the COVID-19 pandemic and the funds were not appropriated during that time frame, City Manager Joseph Scherer said.
The funds pay the monthly DPS contract, meals, and supplies for the inmate van.
The inmates work in conjunction with the parks and recreation and public works departments.
Approved a four-way stop at the intersection of Thirteenth and Marshall streets.
According to information presented by Scherer, the intersection has been the site of numerous unsafe traffic issues, especially speeding and reckless driving.
In the last 18 months, police issued more than 550 traffic citations or warnings for infractions which occurred in that location.
“The main issue on Marshall Street is the absence of any traffic stop points between Julian R. Allsbrook Highway and East Tenth Street,” Scherer reported. “Many drivers use this corridor to speed through the neighborhood to get to one or the other main road.”
The consensus of the police department and public works is that a four-way stop would be the best and safest way to improve traffic safety in this section of Marshall Street.
Public works has the materials, including warning signs and lights, to install the traffic control measures at the intersection.
Scherer also told council the following in his report:
The police department received an $8,500 grant from Vidant Health to purchase more portable automatic external defibrillators which will provide the patrol division with four per shift.
The police department has received donations from several businesses to buy 10 mobile cameras to be mounted around the city on existing poles.
The cameras will allow the department to monitor areas and major roads for criminal activity and other problems. The cameras operate via satellites and are solar-powered.
The second Sarah Keys Evans Day will be held August 1 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park beginning at 4 p.m.
The Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free concert Friday at Centennial Park from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wild Country Band will be playing and food trucks will be at the site.
The Lloyd Andrews City Meeting Hall will be open for restrooms.
