Durham City Council members reviewed the safety issues surrounding the demolition and construction of a bicycle and pedestrian bridge near Burton Elementary School at its meeting Monday night, along with an economic development loan program aimed at supporting small businesses.
Concerned parents from Burton Elementary School, located a block away from the NC 147 bicycle and pedestrian bridge construction site, urged council members to consider safety concerns in the plans for the bridge's demolition and construction.
Diane Catotti, vice president of the Burton Elementary PTA, asked the Council to ensure that the bridge had 24-hour lighting, adequate visibility with a transparent design and sufficient police surveillance. "We do not want efforts to improve safety to be compromised by the bridge," Catotti said.
The Council agreed that safety should be a priority, and in addition to reviewing the final proposed structure for transparency and lighting, the Council will ask the police department to review the need for additional staff and patrolling.
Council members also approved an economic development loan program with a vote of four to one, with two abstentions.
The loan program is two-pronged. The downtown loan program allows the city to finance up to 40 percent of a loan--up to $250,000--at an interest rate two percent below the prime rate. A more general small business loan program allows the city to finance up to 30 percent of a loan at the prime rate, contingent upon the preapproval of a private institution to finance 70 percent of the loan.
Although the proposal ultimately passed, council member John Best voiced his concern that it carried too much risk. "We already have plenty of incentives for economic development.... I think at this time tax payers cannot afford even one loan defaulting."
Durham resident Steve Hopkins thought the program did not assume enough risk in its aim of promoting small business ownership among Durham residents.
"This program will not work for folks in my neighborhood," Hopkins said. "We cannot [become business owners] without the city giving us a loan before we go to the bank."
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