The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Monday, May 16 unanimously approved renaming part of Old Plank Road as Glenn Road after a brief public hearing.

The name was changed because the N.C. Department of Transportation’s construction of Interstate 295 severed Old Plank Road into two sections. The county’s 911 emergency communications system cannot function properly when two roads have the same name, according to Assistant Fire Chief Freddy Johnson Jr. of Stoney Point Fire Department. The department is responsible for fire and emergency response in that area of the county.

The Stoney Point department asked the county to continue the Glenn Road name from Robeson County over I-295 through Black Bridge Road. The change affects the 6400 through 6800 blocks of what is now Old Plank Road and the newly constructed portion that goes over I-295 to Black Bridge Road.

The county sent 40 notices about the name change to area residents, and 15 responded. Of those, nine responses favored the name change and six opposed it. Only two people spoke at the public hearing. Johnson spoke in favor of the plan, and John Pavlikianidis spoke against it.

Pavlikianidis, of 6456 Old Plank Road, said his family operates Carolina Stables on about 40 acres adjacent to the road. Changing the name would be an “undue hardship,” he said. It would require the family to change the address on legal documents associated with the property, said Pavlikianidis. Also, the Old Plank Road name has a historical context related to Fayetteville, he said.

The board also voted to allow naming an unnamed private street off Chicken Foot Road. The owner, Craven Gaddy, said in his application that people have problems finding his home off Chicken Foot Road. The proposed name is Gaddy Lane. No one spoke on a public hearing on the request.

After the vote, Commissioner Charles Evans asked if the county has a standard for road name changes. Members of the county staff said name changes are covered in county ordinances. Evans suggested the board review in detail the process of name changes, from roads to facilities.

In other action Monday, the board voted to renew a lease with the Vision Resource Center for property known as the Alphin House at 2736 Cedar Creek Road. The three-year lease renewal is for $2,400 a year. Commissioner Jimmy Keefe objected to the lease because he said the property is not suitable for the Vision Resource Center. The property is adjacent to an industrial park and is in a remote part of the county that does not have public transportation, Keefe said.

“It’s not the best use of the property. We’re losing money,” he said.

Keefe said he is willing to find a more suitable location, but the other commissioners disagreed. The motion to renew the lease passed on a 5-2 vote, with Keefe and Michael Boose voting against the renewal.
The agency serves the blind and visually impaired.

Commissioner Toni Stewart said she spoke to the Vision Resource Center director and was assured she likes the location despite being in a remote area lacking public transit. “I have a problem with uprooting them,” Stewart said.

Commissioner Evans suggested the board again look into the possibility of establishing countywide public transit.