Goshen Medical Center seeks annexation; Food King renovations move forward

ROCKINGHAM — Goshen Medical Center, Inc. submitted an annexation request for 52 acres located along 801 US HWY 74 Business East at the April meeting of the Rockingham City Council.

The property is located adjacent to the existing city limit boundary. A portion of the property is located in Hamlet’s extra-territorial jurisdiction which, pending the annexation, will be zoned.

Goshen Medical Center plans to develop a new medical office on the property. Assistant City Manager John Massey said the impetus for the annexation is that they want access to city services, specifically sewer services. There are no plans to subdivide the property.

If the annexation is approved, an 8-inch gravity sewer line must be extended along US 74 Business near the hotel under construction across from Zaxby’s at a cost of $300,000.

A public hearing for the annexation is set for the May council meeting.

Second phase of Food King renovations approved

A motion to advance to the second phase of the Food King building renovation project in Downtown Rockingham was unanimously approved.

The approval allotted $566,990, which was the lowest bid from Southern Builders, to replace the flooring of the main level. Funding for the project will come from the Urban Development Action Grant Program (UDAG) or American Rescue Plan funds. No taxpayer funds will be needed for this project.

“This is a critical juncture that we’ve been working to get to for a while,” said City Manager Monty Crump.

This phase has a projected completion construction time of 14-16 months. The final phase to make it tenant-ready will include putting up walls and installing heating and air conditioning.

“When you’ve got an opportunity to get money from other sources to pay for it, where it doesn’t out of the pockets from the local taxpayers, I think a little time spent getting funding together is a wise thing to do,” Crump said.

Parks and Rec opportunities discussed

Mayor Pro Tem Denise Sullivan inquired about restoring a few tennis courts in Rockingham.

“We did not have a demand for tennis courts out there even when we maintained them,” said Crump. “We do have demand for additional fields, particularly for youth soccer.”

Sullivan lamented that interest for activities such as tennis could be created through the revitalization of the area.

“I ride by parts of Rockingham and it breaks my heart that during the day it’s a dead place until Friday or Saturday,” Sullivan said.

Crump said that money could be allocated toward tennis courts, but doesn’t know if the interest is there, citing the failure of the referendum on the sports center complex.

“It was overwhelmingly and resoundingly defeated,” Crump said. “It failed miserably because people in this county did not want to invest in it.”

Crump said the issue could be revisited, but they need to figure out what the demand for it would be.

Mayor John Hutchinson said he was glad that the issue was raised at the meeting and that it should be further discussed at their annual retreat. Council members agreed that they would need to determine the interest level of residents before any decision could be made.

Audit contract approved

City Council unanimously approved an audit contract with Anderson Smith and Wilke, PLLC.

“We have a great working relationship over the years,” Crump said. “They do a great job.”

Hutchinson highlighted the importance that the auditors are local and the scarcity of individuals able to complete municipal audits.