Road renaming issue tabled
Published 10:19 am Saturday, February 26, 2011
JACKSON — The decision on re-naming one Davis Road in Northampton County has been delayed a little longer.
On Monday, the Northampton County Board of Commissioners heard a recommendation from County Manager Wayne Jenkins to rename the Davis Road (State Road 1563) off U.S. 158 near the Faison’s Old Tavern community.
In January, the commissioners agreed to rename the road after listening to citizens concerns regarding two roads that were named Davis Road; the other road by that name (State Road 1506) is located off NCHS-East Road near the Creeksville community.
The same road name has led to confusion for emergency services personnel as to where they are needed to respond.
Linda Daye, a Davis Road (State Road 1563) resident agreed her road should be renamed, suggesting Magnolia Vaughan Road in honor of the woman who petitioned to get the road paved and maintained by the state. The commissioners agreed to kept State Road 1506 as Davis Road and, in the meantime, contact those property owners on State Road 1563 for road name recommendations. They further agreed that if no recommendations were put forth the name would be changed to Magnolia Vaughan Road.
In Monday’s meeting, Jenkins recommended the road be renamed Magnolia Road, after noting the several roads within the county with the name Vaughan in them and that it had been recommended not to use Vaughan.
Jenkins said Daye had agreed to the shortened name of Magnolia Road.
However, Commissioner Virginia Spruill had a difference in opinion wanting the road named Magnolia Vaughan Road. She referred to the meeting minutes, noting Daye had recommended Magnolia Vaughan Road.
“Magnolia is a tree, Magnolia Vaughan is a person,” Spruill said.
Jenkins reiterated during the discussion it was noted there were many roads in the county bearing the Vaughan name.
“She (Daye) sat right there and said shorten it to Magnolia Road,” he said.
Spruill said it wasn’t in the minutes and she didn’t recall Daye saying that.
Jenkins said Daye said it to him.
Spruill said Daye should have said it to the board.
“Well, I’ll be happy to call her and have her come back,” said Jenkins.
“Why are we hesitant to name roads after people, certain people,” Spruill asked.
“That’s not a problem for me Ms. Spruill,” said Jenkins. “I don’t have a cat in this fight.”
He asked Commission Vice Chair James Hester (sitting in for Commission Chair Fannie Greene, who was in attendance but ill) if he could pull the item from the agenda. Hester agreed and asked Jenkins to have Daye return to the next meeting.