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Eminent domain
not an option
for poultry plant
By Bill Willcox
One more
option is off the table for saving the Pilgrim‘s Pride chicken
plant.
The Siler
City town attorney, William Morgan, has advised that the town cannot
acquire the now-closed plant through eminent domain.
Eminent
domain is the right of a government or municipal quasi-public body
to acquire private property for public use. It is acquired through a
court action called condemnation in which the court determines the
use is a public use and decides the price or compensation to be paid
to the owner.
IIG, an
Atlanta-based company which had expressed an interest in buying and
re-opening the poultry plant, had suggested that the town look into
the option..
But Town
Manager Joel Brower said the attorney determined there was no
legislation to support this kind action. When Brower told IIG of his
decision, he was told the company would look into other options.
"I took that
to mean that things were pretty much dead in the water," Brower
said..
"It’s kind of
a sad time for us," he said. "We had hoped that IIG or some other
entity would step in and buy that property but it is looking less
and less likely that that is going to happen."
Pilgrim’s
Pride discontinued operations at its Siler City plant on May 23.
The plant
closing meant the loss of jobs for 836 workers.
The plant
closing has already had an impact on the local economy, including a
dramatic affect on the budget for Siler City. The proposed budget
eliminates five positions.
In Brower’s
proposed budget, two full time employees who are retiring will not
be replaced. The positions are for line maintenance mechanic in the
water and sewer department and operations superintendent in the same
department.
In addition,
three part-time positions will be eliminated, one at the water plant
and two in the recreation department.
Also, there
will be no cost of living or merit raises for town employees, and
the Town is putting off plans to buy new trucks or vehicles.
Pilgrim’s Pride was Siler
City’s second largest employer behind the Townsend chicken plant
that employs 1,300. The company brought $1.2 million annually to the
town in utility usage.
more- See Thursday,
June 5,
2008 paper:
Vol 88, No.26
Town extends permit for mine
By
Angela Delp
A
controversial mining operation, which once appeared to have
abandoned plans to mine roofing granules near Siler City, may again
be considering mining on property in the town’s zoning jurisdiction.
ISP Minerals,
based in Maryland, was granted an extension on a conditional use
permit Monday by the Siler City Town Board.
Siler City’s
Town Board voted 6-0-1 to extend ISP Minerals’ conditional use
rezoning by six additional months. Mayor Pro Tem John Grimes was
excused from the vote because he owns property near the proposed
quarry.
The company
is again proposing to open a 1,076-acre quarry off Old U.S. 421 in
the Mount Vernon Springs Community.
Siler City’s
Town Board initially granted ISP Minerals a conditional use rezoning
for the property in July 2006.
The conditional use permit
had a two-year life and would have expired July 3 of this year if
the extension had not been granted.
In March, the
town sent a letter to ISP Minerals to inform the company that the
application’s expiration was imminent.
Last month,
the town received a letter from ISP attorneys requesting a permit
extension, a copy of the Court of Appeals opinion ruling in favor of
Siler City’s issuance of the conditional use permit, and a notarized
request for extension from ISP Minerals and those who own the
subject property.
The
conditional use permit will expire January 3, 2009 provided ISP does
not begin the project.
Last year, the proposed
quarry prompted three lawsuits against the town of Siler City.
more- See Thursday, June 5,
2008 paper:
Vol 88, No.26
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‘Most Wanted’ suspect nabbed
By
Randall Rigsbee
A suspect
sought by authorities for his alleged role in the robbery of an
armored car in South Carolina was nabbed in Siler City after being
profiled on the popular "America’s Most Wanted" television show.
Last
Thursday, authorities with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office
arrested 29-year-old Derrick Shawnte Benjamin, who had been featured
on Fox TV’s "America’s Most Wanted" in March.’
Benjamin was
wanted by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for
allegedly receiving stolen money from an armored car robbery in
Richland County, South Carolina in May 2007.
The theft was
the third largest armored car robbery in U.S. history.
Benjamin was
the last suspect remaining at large until his capture in Pittsboro
last week.
Chatham
County deputies received information that Benjamin was living in
Siler City, said Capt. Mike Roberson of the Chatham County Sheriff’s
Office.
Investigators
here verified the information and arrested the suspect after
stopping a vehicle in which he was a passenger in Pittsboro last
week.
The vehicle
was stopped by deputies at US 15-501 and Old Sanford Road.
Authorities said Benjamin
immediately identified himself and was cooperative during his
arrest.
more- See Thursday,
June 5,
2008 paper:
Vol 88, No.26
New
reservoir ahead
of
schedule
By
Angela Delp
Construction
on Siler City’s Charles L. Turner Reservoir may be completed ahead
of schedule, officials said Friday.
Siler City
Town Manager Joel Brower said construction on the new dam and pump
house is progressing rapidly.
He added that
portions of the new dam, which is expected to be completed by
January 2009, will have reached full height by next week.
Brower
acknowledged the construction crews’ long hours and dedication.
"Because the
roller compacted concrete has to be completed before temperatures
get hotter, crews have been working at night to finish it," he said.
Construction
on the new pump house is also progressing.
"I am unsure
how much of the pump house is completed but I understand the pumps
have been installed," he said.
Brower added
the town has yet to award a contract to clear trees that will be in
the reservoir’s flood area.
"There is a
lot of work to be done," he said. "We have installed fencing on two
properties near the dam but have not finished putting in the fence
at this time."
He added that
he is pleased with how the construction is progressing.
"It’s good to
see the new dam coming up out of the ground," he said.
Siler City’s
reservoir was severely affected by the extreme drought last year.
The new reservoir will
alleviate many of the water worries experienced last summer and
fall.
.more- See Thursday,
June 5,
2008 paper:
Vol 88, No.26
Child’s drowning under investigation
By Randall Rigsbee
The apparent
drowning death of a 2-year-old boy in Siler City on Saturday morning
is being investigated by authorities with the Chatham County
Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Social Services.
The young boy
died Saturday after apparently drowning in an above-ground swimming
pool, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday.
The incident
occurred Saturday, May 31 at approximately 8:30 a.m.
The victim
was identified as Timothy Austin Parnell.
Deputies from
the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office responded Saturday morning to a
residence at 100 Piney Bluff Road, Siler City.
According to
a Sheriff’s Office spokesman, the child was found by a neighbor
unresponsive in the victim’s backyard above ground pool.
Chatham
County authorities said on Monday that the cause of death appeared
to be drowning. The body was sent to the Medical Examiner’s Office
to determine the cause, the results of which were pending earlier
this week.
The child’s
father was inside the house at the time the boy was found by a
neighbor, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
CPR was
administered but was unsuccessful.
Chatham County Sheriff Office
investigators and officials with the Department of Social Services
are continuing to investigate the case.
more- See Thursday,
May 29,
2008 paper:
Vol 88, No.25 |
