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Coming up Tuesday in the New Bern Post: Full coverage of the last Parking Advisory Committee meeting Tuesday afternoon and its final recommendations to the Board of Aldermen, and top-story coverage of Tuesday evening’s Board of Aldermen meeting. Later this week, I’ll drill down into the minutiae. Because I’m not looking to build an audience. I’m looking to build community awareness and civic involvement. ~ Randy Foster, New Bern Post Got tips or comments?Read More →

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One item on the Master Parking Plan Advisory Committee draft list of recommendations that didn’t make the cut on Tuesday is euphemistically called “Trash Plaza.” Bear Plaza, the cozy, charming stretch of narrow open space that starts on Middle Street, comes to an abrupt end at Trash Plaza. The area doesn’t have a formal name, and consists of a meandering parking lot punctuated by concrete islands, random shrubbery, garbage cans, and the faint aroma of bat guano — all owned by something like 14 people or entities (see Craven County GIS map, right). “The MPPAC (or, advisory committee for short) recommends the BOA (or, BoardRead More →

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Paid parking on Broad Street won’t be among the recommendations an advisory committee brings to the Board of Aldermen at its Nov. 21 meeting. The Downtown Parking Advisory Committee also decided not to meddle with current parking rules on Broad Street, New Street, Hancock Street and Metcalf Street. Both proposals were among several contained in a draft list of recommendations that came before the committee on Tuesday. The committee will finalize its plan on Tuesday, Nov. 14, before bringing its recommendations to the Board of Aldermen on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The committee will likely proceed with its recommendation to start enforcing 2-hour parking limits inRead More →

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Lots of folks in downtown New Bern think they dodged a bullet when a downtown parking advisory committee leaned against recommending paid parking throughout downtown. Except along Broad Street. Folks there are still at the shooty-shooty end of the barrel. The committee will probably recommend that the city start enforcing the two-hour parking limit downtown. But anticipating an exodus of cars to nearby unregulated streets starting with Broad Street, the committee came up with the idea of installing paid parking kiosks charging a dollar an hour on Broad Street from the traffic circle to Middle Street. Parking would be free on nights, weekends, holidays andRead More →

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Who’s on the committee? In this corner, City Hall Dallas Blackiston, chairman, Ward 1 alderman. His ward includes Downtown New Bern. Leaving office in December E.T. Mitchell, Ward 3 alderman. Her ward neighbors Downtown New Bern. Leaving office in December Jeffrey Odham, Ward 6 alderman. His ward comes nowhere near Downtown New Bern.  Mark Stephens, city manager. His staff reports form the basis of committee discussions and decisions. Brenda Blanco, city clerk. Posts agendas, keeps minutes, distributes background material … and peculiarly, is a voting member of the committee. Downtown folks, sort of John Bircher, Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation president (day job, lawyer) KevinRead More →

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Going into extra innings, the city Parking Advisory Committee is meeting Tuesday to iron out recommendations it will make at an upcoming Board of Aldermen meeting. The committee meets Tuesday afternoon at the Police Substation at New Bern Mall, because what better way to encourage public participation than holding a meeting in a police station? The committee was supposed to present its recommendations to the Board of Aldermen on Oct. 24 but has gone two meetings past that date, including the one scheduled for Nov. 7. It has until Dec. 12 to present its recommendations, after which it dissolves. Two aldermen on the committee vacateRead More →

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City Manager Mark Stephens said his research leads him to believe downtown New Bern has had a parking problem for the last 100 years. A committee set up by the city seeks to solve downtown parking problems after about seven or eight meetings. Chaired by lame duck Alderman Dallas Blackiston as his swan song gig as alderman, the committee plans to recommend to the Board of Aldermen during an upcoming meeting that two-hour parking be enforced on downtown streets … … Except for two blocks of Broad Street, between the East Front Street traffic circle and Middle Street. That stretch of city streets would beRead More →

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Alderman Bernard White was in charge of coordinating the opening prayer at the board meeting on Tuesday night. With the clock winding down until he leaves office after serving two terms, he let his wife of 47 years deliver the prayer. Later in the meeting, one-term Alderman Dallas Blackiston asked that the remaining thousand dollars in his discretionary fund go to Parks & Rec, specifically Thalmann Field, the ball field named after the New Bern policeman who was killed in the line of duty in 2014. Quarter-term Alderman E.T. Mitchell asked that the remainder of her funds (she did not specify how much that is) beRead More →

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Action on a proposal for the city to sign a $1.25 million contract with a software company to integrate the city’s various departments’s computer systems was postponed by the Board of Aldermen on Tuesday evening because key city officials were missing from the meeting. Aldermen Victor Taylor and Jeffrey Odham were not at the meeting, nor was City Manager Mark Stephens. The proposal led to a flurry of discussion on Facebook about a reportedly similar system in Elizabeth City. On the Citizens of New Bern Facebook page, there was a lively exchange about the proposed system upgrade between Buddy Bengal (a local businessman and sonRead More →

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CITY OF NEW BERN BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OCTOBER 24, 2017 – 7:00 P.M. CITY HALL COURTROOM 300 POLLOCK STREET 1.  Meeting opened by Mayor Dana E. Outlaw.  Prayer Coordinated by Alderman White.   Pledge of Allegiance. Randy’s note: Bernard White, who lost his reelection bid, began closing out his term by having his wife of 47 years deliver the opening prayer. Because wives should always have the last word. 2.  Roll Call. Randy’s note: All present, if by all present you mean that aldermen Victor Taylor and Jeffrey Odham were not present. Odham and City Manager Mark Stephens were at a city manager convention. NotRead More →